The BattleGround
by Chris Lozinski
Summary: Dante's blood litters the ashen Battleground as Mundus prepares to take his life. But things take an unexpected turn when a Legendary Dark Knight returns with an ancient sword ready to take revenge... R&R would be greatly appreciated.
1. Default Chapter

The black sun fell behind the massive Gothic looking temple as the blood red sky rose above it. Broken bits of rock and ash covered the ground in the Courtyard of the Temple. Smoke rose from the fires raging around the area as the red sky became darker. In the middle of the courtyard lay a man.

A Hunter.

He was lying face down with one arm resting on his forehead and the other outstretched along the rocky temple floor. It looked as if he was reaching for something. There, a few feet in front of his hand, lay the sword he had wielded since the incident at Mallet Island: the sword known as 'Alastor.'

He had never thought it possible. Not in a million years could a threat so severe ever have shown its ugly face once again. Mundus, the dark angel of Hell stood towering over the bloodied body of his enemy-or what was left of him.

With one foot, Mundus kicked his defeated opponent over so he could look into his eyes.

The man's white hair fluttered lightly in the smoke and breeze that swept through the area once again as he grunted in agony. His dark red, almost black trench coat was ripped and torn in all places, revealing the fleshy red knobs of his exposed ribcage and various parts of his chest. His once perfect face was now littered with cuts and scrapes, each with their own individual stream of shiny red blood that ran down his face.

With great exertion, Dante Sparda reached for his sword with what little strength he had left. Mundus chuckled and kicked the sword far away from Dante's grasp. He crossed his bulging arms across his chest and looked down at his enemy.

"Look at me, Dante," he said. "Look into my eyes. I want you to see what you have created."

Dante gazed up at the horror that he had just done battle with. In all his glory, Mundus stood at full height. It looked like he was carved out of pure stone. He had long, curly stone hair, accompanied by a stone-carved beard that stopped at his massive chest. He was wearing a dark gray robe that just brushed the stony ground, revealing his reptilian-like feet. Each toe had a small thick nail protruding from it.

The worst sight about the towering Goliath were his eyes. They shone orange and red like the fires that accompanied the battleground. The reflection of the red sky and the fire reflected off of Mundus' stone figure, giving an orange glow to his appearance.

Dante blinked, then closed his eyes. He knew that Mundus had absolutely no intention of playing with his food before he killed it. Mundus shook the ground as he walked over to where Dante's sword lay. He grasped it from the ground with one massive hand and walked back to where his opponent lay.

Mundus once again gazed down at his enemy, looking deep into Dante's eyes.

"'Tis true that you defeated me once, Dante. Like your father Sparda before you. But now is where the plans of Mundus begin, and the fading trail of the bloodline from the Sparda family ends."

Mundus leaned over and tilted his head to the side. "Are you ready to return to the Underworld?"

With his last breath, Dante opened his eyes and looked the Demon in the face.

"Let's rock."

With those words, Mundus raised Alastor and prepared to plunge it into Dante's heart when suddenly an earth-shattering burst of orange and white filled the area, startling Mundus. He dropped the sword and shielded his stone-carved eyes from the intense light and heat.

As the smoke cleared, the red sky shone down on a silouhette. It was crouched down on a small tower perch. It was holding a giant sword and had a pair of massive demonic-structured wings that fluttered slightly.

"Lord Mundus, you and I have unfinished business."

Mundus was at a loss for words.

As he blinked to confirm that he was indeed not being tricked by some sort of spell, he spoke.

"No…it cannot be!?"

Dante blinked and shook his head from the ground through the clearing debris and smoke. He looked at the single figure atop the perch and squinted in disbelief.

"Father?"

--

Author's Note: I was up at like 3:00 in the morning the other night when I had this idea for a battle scene, so I just decided to type it out before I forgot it, which is how some of my stories eventually see fruition. I wasn't going to send it in, but I felt kind of obligated since I haven't updated my other story called 'Tears Of Blood' in so long. The only excuse I have right now is finals. They're a real bitch in Grade 11. I didn't know which direction I was heading in when I wrote this, and I really don't even know if I'll use is later on. Just thought I'd send it in and see what happens. I'll update my story soon.

-Chris


	2. Chapter I

**Devil May Cry**

**The **

**BattleGround**

**Chapter I**

* * *

Dante struggled to see through the settling dust and debris from the entrance that the mysterious warrior had made. He could not believe his eyes. Was this Demon truly his father?

The tall dark figure arched its wings in the air and floated down from the perch with perfect grace to where Dante lay and Mundus stood. His wings folded and cupped around him, so the only visible features were his feet and the top of his head. Mundus himself could not even believe it. His judgment as to the identity of the winged warrior was just as valid as Dante's at this point. For all he knew, it could just be some low-level demon that was trying to once again rebel against him.

As both Dante and Mundus waited in dyer anticipation, the dust settled. The Demon warrior still remained in his cocoon-like form. Mundus balled his gigantic fists.

"Who are you, Demon?" he hissed, clenching his teeth in anger as he pointed a large finger at the warrior.

The dark warrior remained completely still like some sort of stone carving.

"I am the single Demon who took down the leader of the Underworld many ages ago."

Mundus' eyes widened slightly as the Demon continued to speak.

"I am the single Demon who managed to defeat the Underworld's best champions, escape Hell and raise two hybrid sons that each possess my powers."

Mundus started to shake his stone-carved head slightly, as he already knew what the next words from the Demon's mouth were going to be.

The Demon stretched out his wings, his true form now revealed. He stood at a full seven feet. He was almost entirely jet black, except for his armor, which was outlined in deep purple and red. His charcoal grey face seemed even darker than it should have been because of his spiky silver hair. Two average-sized horns protruded from each side of his forehead above each eye.

The amazing looking Demon reached down to his holster and whipped out the ancient and legendary sword that he had wielded all his life. It was gigantic in size and was black with fleshy red veins crawling up and down it.

"My name is Sparda," he began as he pointed his tremendously large sword at Mundus. His icy blue eyes met with his enemies' orange and red eyes. "And I have come to take your head!"

Dante was awe-stricken. Was he dead? Was he dreaming? Was he losing his mind?

His father slowly stepped forward in Mundus's direction. He looked down at the sword that Mundus was holding. It was Alastor. Sparda frowned.

"I believe you are holding my son's sword." Sparda once again met eyes with his enemy.

Mundus grinned evilly as he glanced at the sword, then at Dante's lifeless body. "Oh, you mean this sword?" He said, taunting Sparda.

Before Sparda could react, Mundus stepped forward and plunged the sword into Dante's heart. Instantly, small spirts of blood began to shoot from Dante's exposed chest and ribs. An agonizing scream pierced the battleground as Dante arched his back from the pain.

Mundus smiled as he twisted the sword left and right, basking in the glory of hearing Dante's cries.

After he was done, he viciously ripped the sword from Dante's body. As Dante lay on the ground, he held up his hand to the blurry image that was his father.

"Father, I…I…" But that was all the Devil Hunter could muster before he coughed up a stream of blood that ran down his cheek. It blended in with all the other streams of dry blood on his face.

Sparda held out his hand, silencing his own son. "Shh, my son. Let the Darkness take you. Let it weave it's way down into your soul."

Dante's reaching hand fell to the rocky floor of the battleground as he felt more intense pains rip through the core of his body. He closed his eyes, then immediately opened them once he heard his father's voice reach his ears again.

"Dante." He said. "I will come for you."

Dante nodded slightly and allowed himself to be taken by the blackness as his pain faded away.

Mundus looked puzzled. He held out his hands and uncurled his fingers. "What, no remorse…no anger? Your son has been slain before your very eyes and all you can do is give him a few final parting words?"

Sparda looked away from his son's body and into Mundus's eyes.

"You and I both know well that I have the power to venture to the Dark Side and bring him back."

Mundus smiled. "Ah yes, but you have forgotten, Legendary Dark Knight, you must first defeat the might of Mundus before that can happen."

Mundus was soon silenced by a swift punch to the face. He staggered back in to a small stone pillar and shattered through it. He hit a stone wall behind it and shook his head in anger.

Sparda swung his mighty sword around in all directions with complete control before snapping it back behind his head.

"I have forgotten nothing, Demon." Mundus growled and charged at Sparda with Alastor ready for his heart.

Sparda grinned as Mundus got closer and closer.

"In the words of my son," he began as he glanced down at his son's body, then back to Mundus.

"Let's rock."

* * *

Author's Note: Well, as you can tell, I decided to scrap the whole idea of using this somewhere else down the road. I think it has the potential to become an alright story. I don't think t will be that long, though. Anyway, I'll update it soon. Until then, please Read & Review because I appreciate all of your comments. And, if you have any ideas for this story please tell me in the comments section and I will consider them. It would be cool to make a story with more than just one mind writing it.

-Chris


	3. Chapter II

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER II**

* * *

Sparda shifted all of his massive weight onto his opposite ankle and spun around with his sword drawn as Mundus slashed away with Alastor. Sparda, seeing an opening, struck down his sword with both hands on Mundus's back. Mundus growled lowly and stumbled into the nearest small pillar. 

After regaining his balance, he glanced at his ancient enemy. Sparda stood behind a small orange fire that still had not yet burned itself out, which remained in the Temple ruins. The glaze of the fire reflected off of Sparda's armor. Even though Mundus was much, much larger than he was, Sparda looked intimidating to any demon at this moment.

Sparda held his sword with his arm straight diagonally across the front of his body. He locked eyes with Mundus, then looked at his back. There was a large gash across it, and from it came small amounts of blood that leaked into the small stone cracks of his figure.

"Do you see, Mighty Emperor, you bleed like the rest of the beings that inhabit this Earth. You bleed like a human." Sparda's cold words caused Mundus to glance over his massive shoulder to his back. His eyes widened.

"How can this be?" He questioned. Sparda stepped through the small fire in front of him and continued to walk toward Mundus.

As he got closer, Mundus drew his sword. Sparda quickly held up his sword and flexed his biceps as his son's sword that Mundus wielded came crashing down on his. He held up the weight of the sword and started to push it back toward Mundus until the two were almost eye-to-eye.

"You ask why you bleed? Maybe you should have taken more time to gather all of your power and strength before you entered the Mortal World. You forget, Lord Mundus, that the magic you possess in your Underworld do not always necessarily apply to this world."

The words struck Mundus hard. He looked around himself quickly for anything to strike Sparda with. He shoved Sparda off of him with the force of his sword. Using his unmatched strength, he picked up a large piece of a broken wall from the Temple and hurled it at Sparda.

Sparda held his sword straight out about a foot away from his body. As the huge piece of wall came closer, he closed his eyes, and concentrated. A small red haze of mist began to rise up from his feet, which snaked all the way up his body until it finally reached his sword. It began to radiate and grow at the tip of it.

With a soft grunt, Sparda launched the orb composed purely of magic and energy at the piece of wall. It connected, and the force from it caused the Temple wall to shatter into three large pieces that landed around the Demon Warrior.

He opened his icy blue eyes and stared at Mundus.

"My powers, however, work in any realm." Mundus could not speak.

Sparda continued. "I have waited a long time for this battle, Demon," he once again twirled his sword around in the air, brought it in close, and pointed it in Mundus's direction. "And this time, you shall meet your fate."

Mundus let out one of the loudest battle cries that Sparda had ever heard as he charged the warrior with tremendous speed.

Mundus began with attempting a low slash at Sparda's legs. Sparda easily leaped upward and pulled his knees to his chest. While still in the air, he brought his sword up and thrust it at Mundus. Mundus quickly held up Alastor. The two swords met and created a loud clashing noise.

Sparda pushed off of Mundus with his sword and landed back on the ground. Mundus wasted little time.

He held Alastor above his head and kept on repeatedly bringing it down onto Sparda's defense with all of his strength until he had backed him up against the side of the main entrance into the Temple.

Sparda moved out of the way of a sword slash that impaled the Temple wall. Bits and pieces of it hit him as he rested for a brief moment. He looked down. Every sound, the fire, the burning, the grunting of Mundus trying to free the sword from the Temple, it all seemed to mute as Sparda's eyes met with the image on the ground. There, at his feet, lay the cold, bloodied body of his son.

"Dante…." Sparda was never one to lose his temper, but seeing the dead body of his own son seemed to infuriate something inside of him beyond belief.

It needed to be unleashed.

He looked to the right of him and saw Mundus trying desperately to pry the sword from the groove it had created in the entrance as the sounds around him re-implanted themselves back inside his head.

Sparda could take it no longer.

Now it was his turn to let out a battle cry of his own. Mundus just managed to get Alastor out of the groove and hold it up as Sparda came crashing down with his sword. Sparda used his strength and hurled both swords to the ground.

He punched Mundus in his stone chest, then gave him a thundering uppercut to his face. Mundus staggered backward against the wall. Before he could regain his focus, Sparda delivered a swift kick to his lower stomach, causing him to heave forward. Sparda would not let up.

He brought his knee up into Mundus's concrete jaw. The force from the blow sent Mundus back against the wall once again, but before he could fall to the ground, Sparda lashed out, grabbed his head with both of his hands, and with tremendous force, smashed Mundus's head back against the wall.

Mundus staggered and toppled down to one knee. Even at his hunched over state, Sparda only met his eyes. Still filled with unfathomable amounts of rage, Sparda moved in to inflict another onslaught.

Mundus quickly held out his hand and shot three large bolts of red glass-like projectiles at him. Two of them shattered upon impact, but one connected fully.

Sparda let out a short cry of pain and clutched the left side of his chest. The red object went all the way through his black body.

Mundus quickly stood up. He held his hands near an open area of the Temple. Two more large bolts from his hands hit the ground and formed into a bright red and orange portal that swirled in and out.

The portal stretched all the way to the ground, very close to Dante's body. Mundus walked over to it and stepped halfway through. He turned back to look at his injured opponent.

"It seems the tables have turned, oh great warrior. Perhaps we will finish this battle another time. But for now, I leave you with a challenge of your own."

With those words, Mundus held out his hand and snapped two of his massive fingers together. Just as he did, an orb that seemed to fall from the sky hit the courtyard floor and rolled until it his an uneasy patch of ground. The orb cracked and from it materialized one of the largest, malevolent demons Sparda had ever laid eyes on.

Its main color was hard to determine because its skin seemed to be one whole watery image of black, red, orange, yellow, and grey. It held a giant mallet-ax in its left hand. Its eyes were a bright orange and its head resembled that of a bull's. Two great horns protruded from both sides of its massive cranium. One large circular ring stretched from one nostril of its nose to the other.

Though the large creature took up most of the space in the courtyard of the Temple, and Sparda came up to only its kneecap, he still managed to glance past the creature to see Mundus and Dante's body.

"Until next time, Legendary Dark Knight." The portal grew one last time and moved over Dante's body.

"Furiataurus, destroy him." Mundus, along with Dante, disappeared into the contents of the portal.

"Dante!" Sparda said, but it was too late. He glanced up at the massive hulk of Demon that stood in front of him. Two small tufts of fire escaped each nostril as it snorted. It held up its giant ax and prepared to bring it down on Sparda.

But he didn't acknowledge the fact that he was about to be decimated by the giant Furiataurus. He couldn't even feel the pain from the red bolt impaled in his chest anymore.

All Sparda could feel was the disappointment of letting his son die, and the thought of how hewas going to get him back….

* * *

Author's Note: Well, as you can see, the plot is building. If you didn't already know, Furiataurus is one of the bosses that Arius summons from Devil May Cry II. I will update this soon but until then, please keep reviewing. 


	4. Chapter III

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE**

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER III**

* * *

It began with a headache.

He could feel the numbness fading away as he opened his eyes. At first, everything was a blur. All he could see were jagged, uneven shades of black and grey. He knew enough to conclude that he was lying on his back, but other than that, he hadn't a clue.

Dante blinked furiously, and eventually, his proper eyesight returned to him. He could see now that the black and grey he was staring at was actually the tall roof of the area he was in.

He tilted his head to the side and looked down. He was lying in the same position he was in when he had been transported to this place. That much he remembered.

The rocky surface he was laying on was strangely warm, as was his whole body. Dante tried to sit up.

A pain that he had never experienced before jolted through his body as he shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. A single tear rolled down his cheek. He fell back down in his laying position. Feeling the pain coming from his chest, he glanced down.

There were a couple of scars and small bits of blood, but nothing looked so severe that he couldn't even bring himself to sit up. Cautiously, Dante tried once again to get up.

Again, the same pain shot through his entire body. "Damnit!" he said as his body sank back down to the warm floor.

He let out a long sigh, then closed his eyes. His body ached. His head pounded. He had no idea where he was or how he would escape.

Since there was nothing else he could do, Dante tried to remember how the hell he ended up in this place. He remembered lying on a Temple floor bloodied and bruised. He remembered the Temple was badly damaged. He remembered being able to notice all of the dark sky above him and the hills and plant life that surrounded the Temple. He remembered that fires that raged all around him.

He remembered reaching for Alastor….

Then it came to him.

"Mundus."

Dante chuckled and shook his head. "He's the reason I'm here. That son of a bitch."

He knew now that his body was repairing itself from whatever damage the Dark Angel had inflicted on him, and somehow forgot the pain it caused when he tried to move during the process.

Dante's eyes suddenly shot open. There was something else at that Temple. Something mysterious that he couldn't quite grasp.

"Dante, I will come for you." These words repeated themselves in his head over and over again until the image of who was saying them finally came to him.

"Father…." Dante felt a great sorrow overcome him. He had waited ever since his childhood for the day he would be reunited with his father.

"I only got to see him once before I died," Dante spoke to his dark surroundings. He knew no one was around to hear his words, but it felt better to say them aloud. He screamed.

As his body neared the end of its restoration, one final pain shot through his body again. This one had the power to knock him into unconsciousness.

As he fainted, two large creatures came walking in his direction from the shadows. Their skin was dark green and scaly. They both had large grey stone-plated shields in their left hands. Their swords dangled in their side pouches as they walked. Brown leather straps covered their shoulders and crossed across their chests, meeting in the exact center where a stone amulet held them in place. The features that stood out the most were the giant white skulls placed over their reptilian heads and their shiny, orange eyes. Large tails protruding from their lower backs swung from left to right as they moved across the rocky floor.

Suddenly, both of them came to a halt. In front of them lie the body of a man. He had bright white hair and a dark red trenchcoat. His black leather undershirt was ripped open, but his chest and abdominal muscles were not damaged.

The two creatures known as 'Blades' glanced at each other, then back at the body.

"What do we do with him?" The reptilian-like voice echoed throughout the large area.

The other Blade spoke. "I haven't eaten in ages and he looks ripe enough to me."

The other looked at him and frowned. "No. We will not devour him. We will take him to Master. He'll know what to do."

The two nodded to each other and walked over to Dante's body. One of them bent over and hoisted his body over one of its shoulders. The other Blade followed behind him, making sure that if he woke, he wouldn't escape.

* * *

Dante awoke to the loud roars and clashing of weapons. His eyes shot open immediately. He tried to move his arms and legs but could not. They were being held in place by thick stone chains.

He was lying on a demonic structured elevator device that resembled a giant claw and in the center was where he lay.

Through all of the roaring, he heard a single voice. "Lower him down!"

Large spikes shot up around his entire body, ensuring he wouldn't escape. As he felt himself being lowered, he glanced through two of the large spikes by his head.

Demons.

Agonofinis, Blades, Nobodies, Sin Scythes, Shadows, Savage Golems, all different kinds of Romancers…Dante could see every type of demon he knew of. Levels upon levels of endless demons occupied what seemed like a dark Amphitheater. The whole area was covered by fleshy purple and red veins.

He quickly glanced over through the spikes to his other side. It resembled the opposite side.

As the elevator neared ground level, Dante looked toward the front of the elevator.

There was a warrior standing there with a large mace in his hands. He had an unbelievable amount of spikes all over his body, and was wearing orange-red armor underneath.

"Son of Sparda, prepare for your torture."

Dante glanced around him one last time at all of the Demons, then looked in front of him at the spiked Demon. As he lay on the demonic elevator, one single word rang through his head.

"Shit"

* * *

Author's Note: Just so you know, this chapter wasn't suppose to be action-packed. It was just suppose to explain where Dante ended up after the Temple. Only seven days left until Devil May Cry 3! Don't know about you, but I'm excited. Hope it's as good as the first and better than the second. Anyway, please keep reviewing.

-Chris


	5. Chapter IV

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE**

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER IV**

* * *

The Legendary Dark Knight quickly changed his pattern of thought from his dead son to the Demon in front of him. Sparda slowly looked upward toward the incoming ax headed straight for him. He shook his head and smiled to himself.

"Demons just don't learn."

Sparda closed his eyes.

Within an instant, a gray, misty substance began to emanate from his body. He could feel the anger building inside of him. Sharp, needling pains began to radiate throughout him; a feeling he had grown accustomed to since discovering the Devil Trigger within.

As the ax came down, he opened his eyes. A large orange ball of fire engulfed Sparda as he morphed into his true Demon form. He grew larger and more demonic; almost half the size of his giant enemy.

The Furiataurus froze as Sparda looked up into its eyes. With lightning fast speed, Sparda equipped his sword and lunged at the Furiataurus….

There was a sudden flash of white and red as the entire Battleground seemed to erupt.

Then, like nothing had happened, Sparda appeared on the other side of the Demon with his back turned. He casually placed his sword on his back as he turned off the 'trigger' from within himself, causing him to change back to his original form.

The Furiataurus shook its massive head, blinked its eyes, and then turned to Sparda. It hesitated, then held its ax high and let out a roaring battle cry.

But before it knew what was happening, a large portion of the demon's left arm fell off. Its right arm followed, causing the giant mallet-ax it was wielding to come crashing down mere feet away from Sparda.

As larger pieces of the great demon continued to fall off and break away, it fell to one knee.

Sparda turned around and took one last look into its frightened eyes.

"Send Mundus my regards."

With that, the mighty Furiataurus was reduced to a pile of ash before the feet of Sparda.

He surveyed the BattleGround. The one thing he hated was the unholy silence after a battle. It made him feel like he was the only soul left on the planet.

Sparda took a deep breath and looked up into the dark red sky.

"Dante…"

* * *

The roar of the Demon spectators intensified as Dante pointlessly tried to struggle out of his thick chains.

The armoured beast that was holding the mace held it high above his head.

"Demons of the Underworld, this mace has tasted many different warriors blood, but it has yet to taste the blood of a Sparda!"

The demons howled and screeched in approval. The spiked warrior before Dante looked down at him.

"Until now," he said quietly, his orange, cracked lips forming into what resembled a smile. Dante lifted his head off of the elevator.

"You can take that mace and shove it up your ass." The demon's smile quickly faded as Dante grinned.

Every Demon in the Amphitheater was silent.

Knowing he should shut his mouth, Dante continued. "What, no one else that you've tortured had the balls to mouth off to you, sweetheart?"

He tilted his head cockily to the side. The torturer was dumb-founded. If he was going to go out, he was going out with a fight.

Dante leaned up even closer toward him. "Well I'm Dante Sparda, and guess what, I have balls you son of a bitch!"

With his last word, he spat at the Demon. It landed right on his cheek. Infuriated, the torturer roared and swung the mace.

Dante looked away….

And before he knew what was going on, the mace-wielding torturer was lying on the ground in a pool of its own blood. The mace landed on the elevator next to Dante. He looked in front of him.

There was a cloaked figure standing there with a sword held in his hands.

Dante could not make out his face due to the shadow from the hood of the cloak, but could he tell that his eyes were a dark green. The cloak ended halfway down the creature's legs, revealing his dark gray skin wrapped in a set offleshy green veins. Gracefully, he slashed through the chains that bound Dante to the demonic elevator.

Dante looked down at his hands and feet, then at the cloaked figure. He was very puzzled. Before Dante could say anything, the levels upon levels of Demons lost control. They had caught sight of the intruder and began to jump and crawl down from the levels that they were on.

The cloaked figure quickly glanced at the demons, then calmly looked at Dante.

"Son of Sparda, come with me."

Dante just frowned and stared into his strange, green eyes. The strange warrior's voice was deep and seemed to echo throughout his mind.

He had heard that voice before.

Dante was quickly snapped from his aura as the cloaked figure grabbed his wrist and yanked him off of the elevator. A flaming projectile created a small flaming dent where Dante's head should have been.

Dante stumbled and fell as he tried to regain his footing. The angry Demons were getting closer. As they reached the ground level, they began to hurl their weapons and projectiles at their fleeing prisoner.

Dante started to sprint, but quickly found himself on the ground again. He had tripped over a small rock in the Amphitheater's surface.

The cloaked figure, not realizing Dante had fallen, rushed back to his aid and helped him up. Dante bolted after the mysterious figure, who moved strangely with the speed and focus of his father.

Two giant stone pillars with tribal markings indicated the edge of the Amphitheater. As they neared the end of the demonic room, the cloaked figure halted and glanced at Dante. He looked at the edge, and pointed down. There was a steep, rocky ledge with a small body of water underneath it at least sixty feet down.

Knowing already what the figure would say, Dante let him jump first then leapt off of the edge after him, his red trenchcoat flailing behind him as he did.

Dante opened his eyes as soon as he felt the water consume him. He managed to spot out the cloaked figure, seeing how his green eyes shone like flashlights and he was the only moving black object in the water.

He hesitated for a moment, then looked above him. He could still hear the screams and roars of all the Demons above him. He didn't know if he should trust this person or not.

He soon made his decision to when a giant pair of scissors landed in the water next to him, nearly slicing his leg open. The scissors were followed by knives, swords, flaming projectiles of all types that almost took apart the Demon Hunter.

He let out small breaths of air as he glanced around him.

Knowing he had no other choice, Dante decided to follow the black image he saw through the mirage of weapons that pierced the water's surface.

As he began to swim in the cloaked figure's path, he found himself not short of breath. He was swimming fast, but it felt like his body was doing no work at all.

There was something very mystical about this warrior that seemed to draw Dante to him.

As Dante continued to swim, the weapons from Hell's angry Demons continued to shoot through the water and fly past him in all directions.

Strangely enough, he knew that as long as he swam in the cloaked figure's path, no harm would come to him….

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I've actually figured out the rest of the plot in my head. I plan to explain why Dante was fighting Mundus at the Temple in the first place, the identity of the cloaked figure and how Sparda managed to re-enter the human world. It's been like a full week since I pre-ordered Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and I'm losing sleep over it. I just can't wait for it. Sooner or later I will go insane. 


	6. Chapter V

**DEVIL MAY CRY **

**THE**

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER V**

* * *

Dante struggled to see the fading green light in the water emanating from the cloaked figure's eyes. For a brief moment, Dante glanced over to a weapon that fell beside him in the water. 

It was a mistake he would soon regret.

In the time it took Dante to gaze away from the cloaked figure, a giant sword pierced the water and ripped through his chest. Blood soon colored the water red as Dante screamed. He clutched the massive sword and attempted to pull it out.

The black figure in the water turned around and quickly swam to where Dante was.

He noticed the sword protruding from Dante's chest and how he was struggling so hard to get it out. The cloaked figure held out his hand and created a small stream of misty blue magic that seemed to have a life of its own.

The magic snaked into Dante's chest and slowly pulled the sword from his body. As strange as it seemed, Dante didn't feel a thing.

The figure motioned for Date to continue following, but he began to cough up massive amounts of blood. Dante's body became lifeless as he slipped into unconsciousness.

His body began to float to the surface. The cloaked figure quickly grabbed Dante around the waist and began to swim down. The weapons were ceaseless in their attack, still piercing the water's surface as the endless amount of demons peered over the cliff's edge.

The cloaked figure had no trouble controlling Dante's body weight under the water. He swam further and further down until the water started to get dark.

He swam until he reached a small, watery image in the water. With ease, the black warrior traveled through it and he and Dante appeared on the other side.

Surprisingly, on the other side of the blurry image, there was no water. There was only a large hallway, which was held up by giant stone pillars on each side.

At the end of the hallway there was a set of giant double doors. There was a carving of two swords criss-crossed on them, which uncrossed when the cloaked figure walked up to them.

He re-arranged Dante's body in his hands and entered the large doors….

* * *

The sky above the Battleground had darkened to its full potential. All the fires had burned themselves out. Small, curving trails of smoke remained. 

The only reason Sparda didn't blend in with the night was due to his icy blue eyes that seemed to shine in even the darkest light.

He gazed up at the moon and took a moment to think as its blue hue shone down on him.

He didn't want to be in this place any longer. He didn't want to be in the place where he witnessed the death of his son. He didn't want to be in the place where he let Lord Mundus escape into the Underworld.

Sparda knew what he had to do in order to save his son. He knew the only way back into Hell was to take his life away from the Human World.

Sparda slowly walked back to the center of the Battleground and kneeled down on his knees. He removed his sword holstered on his back and held it in the air directed at the ground.

He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. With all of his strength, Sparda impaled himself with his own sword through his armor and into his chest. He felt the pain, but continued to keep his eyes closed.

Soon enough, a large, swirling portal rose from the cracked surface around him and took his body into the depths of the Underworld.

He would save Dante, he would save his son, if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

Dante awoke to the sound of footsteps. His vision wasn't exact, but he was sure that he saw a black image move past him. He felt incredibly warm, and soon discovered that he was covered with several fur blankets. 

He rose up into a sitting position off of the bed he was laying in and looked around the room.

There were small and large candles grouped together just about everywhere he could see. Small statues of warriors and goddesses circled the back wall of the room. Above them hung giant animal furs of all different shades of brown and sand colors.

Dante surveyed the room back and forth until his gaze met the green eyes of the cloaked figure. He was sitting on a small chair crafted out of stone. There was a long table behind him that stretched all the way to the end of the small room.

A large candle on the table close to the cloaked figure revealed his dark grey skin and green veins, though Dante could still not fully see his face.

He was leaning over in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs. He held a small wooden bowl in one hand, and a knife-like tool in the other. He was grinding something together in the bowl.

Dante wiped the sweat from his face. It was extremely hot in Hell, especially when you're covered in fur blankets. He wiped his eyes slowly, then cleared his voice.

"Where am I?" he asked, speaking very quietly. The cloaked figure didn't respond. He just kept on mashing the knife into the bowl.

He rose from his chair, walked over to where Dante lay, and scooped out the contents of the bowl. He rubbed them around in his charcoal hands and placed them on the large wound on Dante's chest.

At first, the strange medicine burned, then it cooled down. Dante grimaced a little at the pain, then looked up at the Demon.

"Better?" the demon asked.

Dante nodded in approval. Slowly, the cloaked figure walked back to his chair and gently sat down.

"I know that you had the capabilities to heal that wound yourself, since you are half-demon, but the medicine will help."

Dante was dumbfounded. That voice was so familiar to him. He knew he hadn't heard it in ages, but that voice was etched into his mind. It reminded him of his Father.

"You are in the Sanctuary Shrine. My Sanctuary Shrine. The Demons don't know its location, but after the incident at the Amphitheater, they might figure it out. They are afraid of the water. That is why we were able to escape."

Dante frowned and tilted his head to the side.

"Who are you?"

The cloaked figure took his two charcoal hands and placed them at each side of his head.

"You do not remember me, Dante?"

He took the hood off of his head and let it fall onto his shoulders. His head was bald and charcoal, like the rest of his body. The same fleshy green veins that covered the rest of his body also covered certain parts of his face in a symmetrical pattern but stopped underneath his green eyes. His orange pupils added to his eerie appearance.

"Your Father wasn't the only Demon to rebel against the Tyranny of Mundus."

Dante squinted. "Kade?"

Kade nodded. "Yes, Dante. I'm still alive."

* * *

Author's Note: Well, sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I've been busy with a lot of different things lately. Also, I'm currently on Mission 17 of DMC 3 and words cannot describe this game. It's simply amazing. It easily compares to the first one and kicks the second one's ass. Dante's attitude is right on the money in number 3. The backgrounds and scenery are Gothic too, which is kick-ass. Next Chapter will be out soon. Please keep reviewing! 

-Chris


	7. Chapter VI

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER VI**

* * *

Author's Note: I thought everybody should know that this chapter contains characters thatappear in Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening.

* * *

Dante couldn't believe his eyes. He thought the great Mundus himself had killed the Legendary Kade many years ago. Kade would come to visit Sparda's family when Dante was just a boy. Vergil never had any particular interest in Kade. As a matter of fact, Vergil never had much interest in anyone but himself. He remembered how he would always call Kade strange due to his unnatural appearance.

Kade would always comment on how such good friends he and Sparda were, but Dante could never fully understand him because he would talk in a peculiar tone and would always use such large words.

Then one day, when Kade had taken Dante out for a walk at nighttime, he informed Dante that he could no longer visit him. That's where Dante remembered the voice from.

He would never forget those words….

"_I must apologize to you, young Dante," Kade said as he leaned over and placed his massive hands on young Dante's shoulders._

"_Why do you have to apologize?" questioned Dante. _

"_Because I can no longer come to see you. Your Father and I have some…unfinished business in a far away place, and I fear I might never return." _

_As Kade spoke, a small tear made its way down the right side of Dante's face. Kade took his charcoal hand and gently wiped the tear away from his eye._

"_Don't cry, young Dante. Devils Never Cry." _

"_What?"_

"_You do not know it yet, child, but you have within yourself a gift that only you and your brother possess. It is right here, within your Heart; within your Soul," Kade said as he placed two fingers over Dante's chest. _

"_You cannot use its true ability yet, but someday, when you realize what you can do, you will fulfill your true Fate on this Earth."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes, Dante. The blood of Sparda flows within your veins. That is a treasure you must value. Do you know what your Dad does for a living? He Hunts. He hunts all of the evil creatures in this world and sends them back to where they belong." _

_Dante frowned. "But I thought you were one of those creatures, Kade?" _

"_You're right, Dante. I am one of those creatures. But I am one of those creatures who decided to rebel against the Evil. Just like your Father."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes. And guess what, you too, will do the same thing one day, Dante."_

_Kade took a short sigh. _

"_As for me, I must return to my home, to my World."_

"_Why, Kade? I don't understand?" Dante said as he began to cry again. He wrapped his small arms over Kade's midsection. _

_Kade smiled and closed his eyes. He returned the embrace. "I know you do not understand, young one. But someday, when you are all grown up, you will. You will."_

_Kade's body began to fade into a pale shade of white._

_Kade removed his arms from Dante's body. "I have to leave now. We will meet again, Dante. Maybe not in this world, but we will meet again, I promise you that. Never forget that you are the Son of Sparda. And remember Dante,"_

"_Yes, Kade?"_

"_Devils Never Cry."_

_Dante quit his sobbing and nodded his head. _

"_Goodbye, Kade." _

Dante remembered his last words to one of his greatest companions. He didn't understand it then, but he fully understood now why Kade left.

He had to battle Mundus in the Underworld.

Dante looked at Kade once again. "I thought I'd never see you again, Kade." Just like he had done before when he was a small boy, Dante shed a single tear down his cheek as he looked away from Kade.

Kade smiled. "You haven't changed one bit, young Dante."

Dante chuckled slightly as he aggressively got rid of the tear on his face.

Kade motioned his hand toward Dante's heart. "I see you have discovered the Devil within yourself."

Dante smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, just like you said. I even opened my own shop for hunting Demons. Guess what I called it?"

Kade shook his head. "I haven't a clue, Dante."

"Devil May Cry."

Dante put on a stern glare. "I'll never forget those words you told me that night that you left. You were my Mentor, Kade."

Kade nodded. "What has become of your dear brother, Vergil?"

Date was instantly infuriated. He remembered what his brother had done to him. He remembered Nelo Angelo.

Kade could sense the growing anger within Dante. "I'm guessing he chose a different path than you."

Dante laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, you could say that. First, he resurrected the Ancient tower Temen-Ni-Gru with the help of a scholar named Arkham. Then, he tried to attain Father's power by merging our two Amulets together and taking the Force Edge Sword. After I defeated Arkham and Vergil, I tried to persuade him to come back to the Human World. But he refused, and said he wanted to remain in the Demon world."

It was now Kade's turn to shake his head. "It is so sad that Vergil turned out that way. I always knew that there was something evil inside of him."

Dante continued. "I thought I would never see him again either until the incident at Mallet Island. It was there I fought a greatly skilled Demon Knight who reminded me of my Father. I soon learned that it was Vergil. But it didn't seem like Vergil. It was almost like he was possessed. I had never seen such power from Vergil before, and there's no way in Hell he could have gotten that power without some kind of influence or dark magic."

"Dark magic?" Kade questioned.

"Yeah. That's where Mundus came into the picture. Once I defeated Vergil for the last time, his soul was thrust up into the sky, and from it fell his memento from Mother, his Amulet. It was then that I realized that once I had defeated Vergil, his soul was free from Mundus' spell. I knew Vergil would never try to fight me again, let alone serve someone from the Underworld."

Kade had to take a moment to grasp what he had just heard.

Dante broke the silence with another speech. "Which brings me to my latest Hunt. After Mallet Island, I couldn't find mine or Vergil's Amulet. I got a call from a unanimous tipper that a Demon, larger than he had ever seen, wasflying toward the outskirts of the city. Once I got there, I saw Mundus resurrecting a temple in the middle of sea. He knew exactly where it was hidden. I had never been more angry in my life. As we began to fight, he seemed stronger than ever. We fought long and hard, and in the end, I was defeated. As I lay in the middle of the Temple, Mundus decided, for some reason, to reveal to me his plans. He said that in the middle of the temple lie our Amulets, and with their combined power, he could use them to bring the Demon world to the present day. I had to stop him. Before he struck me down, there was an explosion, and that's when…" Dante was interrupted.

"That's when Sparda returned and took his long-awaited revenge," Kade finished.

Dante looked confused. "How did you…?"

Kade pointed to a large mirror-type portal at the back of the Sanctuary. "He entered through that Portal. After he defeated Mundus, he had to seal the power of the Temen-Ni-Gru by sacrificing your Mother, Eve, at the center of the Tower. I helped him in this. I was Mundus's greatest General, Dante. And it wasn't until I met your father that I realized that killing innocent humans to achieve misappropriated power was wrong and ungrateful. That's when I decided to help Eve and Sparda. That is when I left you. That is when your Father left you. After we sealed the tower, we were returned to the Underworld. We've been alive all these years, Dante. We have been watching you through that mirror over there. Your father had to wait until Mundus set foot on Earth's soil again before he could return."

Dante smiled, then lowered his head. "I only had the chance to see him once before I died. I was all because of Mundus. He started all of this!"

Kade held up his hand. "Do not anger yourself, young Dante. You must rest for now."

Dante raised his voice slightly. "But how are we going to get out of this place, Kade? We need some sort of special power to return to the Human World."

Kade silenced Dante. "We mustn't fret about such things right now. The most important thing for you right now is your health. That wound on your chest isn't fully healed yet."

* * *

Mundus broke open the door leading to the underground tomb. He slowly descended the spiraling cracked stone stairway all the way to the bottom. The Demon Guard behind him was trying to keep up with him.

"So you saw Dante and another Demon leap into the water and escape?" he questioned the guard.

"Yes Sire. We do not know the identity of the other Demon, but he managed to slay Ukrin in one strike."

Mundus stopped. "He killed my Torturer?"

The Demon Guard was hesitant to answer. "Yes, my lord."

There was a small entrance and a large torch hanging from the wall next to the entrance.

"We managed to find out the their location. It is somewhere underneath the water."

Mundus removed the torch from the wall and kicked open the door to the tomb. He glanced back at the guard. "That is all."

The Demon guard bowed and turned around. He exited the tomb.

"So, Sparda wants to return and take my soul once again?" he began as he walked past tomb after tomb, casket after casket.

"Let us see how he feels after his son is murdered by a dead soul." Mundus reached his destination. He removed the lid to the giant coffin lying on an altar at the back of the dimly lit tomb.

As the dust settled, he peered into its contents.

There was a body of a man laying on his back in the coffin. He was wearing a short, dark grey overcoat and matching pants. His hands were gripping a red-covered, small leather book. The torchlight Mundus was grasping illuminated a shine on his bald head. The left side of his face was twisted and scarred. His dark red veins were exposed leading all the way up to his temple. His eyes remained open, the left one orange, the right one blue.

Mundus held out his hands and placed them over the casket. A red glow lit it up and from it rose the inhabitant. He crawled slowly out of the casket and faced Mundus.

Mundus smiled.

"Arkham."

Arkham glanced down at himself, then at his surroundings. "Where am I? What is this place?"

Mundus spoke. "You are in Hell, Arkham."

"Where is my daughter, where is Mary?" Arkham tilted his head at Mundus as he asked the question.

"Your daughter remains in the Human world. You arrived here after she shot you in the head several times. Don't you remember?"

Arkham nodded slowly. "Yes, yes I do remember. I was lying on the Tower's platformafterI had fallen. I betrayed Vergil. I stole Sparda's power."

Mundus nodded. "And now you will serve me, Arkham."

Arkham shook his head. "It was bad enough that I tried to become a Demon, Lord Mundus. But killing my own wife in the process…"

Mundus interrupted. "Yes, your actions remind me of Sparda himself."

Arkham frowned. "Why couldn't you let me rest, Mundus? I've had enough of trying to gain power. I underestimated the power ofSparda's twins. I underestimated the power of my fellow humans. I realize now that I will never escape this place. My soul will never be purified. All I want to do is sleep for the rest of Eternity."

Mundus held out his hand and shook a finger back and forth. "I'm afraid I have a different plan for you."

Arkham shook his head. "Don't you realize, Mundus? I will never get the chance to see mywife's sweet face again, or hold my darling daughter in my arms again.My fate has already been given to me. It was my destiny to fail. It was my destiny to end up in this place."

Mundus held up his hands and waved them around. "And you see all of this, Arkham? It is mine. I control it. I am its master. Everyone and evrything that occupies it bows down to me, not some power-drivenscholar with a twisted face!"

Arkham looked the great Mundus square in his eyes. "Is that perhaps why you could not defeat Sparda? Because you didn't have the strength?"

Mundus grunted. "That may be, Arkham. But at least I was not sent to this place by the hand of the child that I raised!"

Arkhamthrew down his book of spells and charged at Mundus. "Damn you, devil!"

With one swift motion Mundus clutched Arkham's throat in the air. Arkham dangled in Mundus's hand.

"You will serve me, mortal," Mundus began to say as he held out his other hand and shot a red beam of magic through Arkham's heart. "Even if it means possessing you. Even if it means turning your soul black."

Arkham screamed through the pain. Mundus dropped him to the dusty ground. He clutched his chest in pain. The red beam was slowly getting smaller and smaller. As the darkness consumed his soul, Mundus laughed.

Arkham let out one final scream before throwing his hands in the air. As he brought them down, he closed his eyes. The process was complete.

When Arkham opened his eyes, they shone blood red.

Mundus smiled and crossed his arms. "Go now, Arkham, and eliminate the Son of Sparda!"

Arkham said nothing. He just kneeled over, picked up his book, and walked past Mundus out of the tomb.

* * *

Arkham leapt off of the giant Amphitheater and landed on the cliff near the edge. Without hesitating, he held out his hands and parted the water below. He leapt of the cliff's edge and descended the rocky surface as the two sides of water raged dangerously close to him.

He eventually came to the entrance of the Sanctuary.

Kade held up his hand and silenced Dante from speaking again.

Dante stood up. "What is it?"

Kade also rose from his stone chair and walked near the entrance doors.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"The swords, they uncrossed."

"So?" Dante questioned, dragging out the end of the word.

Kade shook his head. "Someone is here, on the other side of the doors."

Before Kade could even get the last of the words out of his mouth, the giant double-doors flew past him and Dante. They both leapt for cover from the blast. A mirage of orange and bright yellow instantly flooded the room, piercing both Dante's and Kade's visions.

Dante held his arm above his head and shielded the light from his eyes as he looked at the entrance. Both doors were blown off. Random parts of the small Sanctuary had caught fire. Each side of the walls where the doors were was also on fire.

Dante noticed the silhouette of a tall man standing in the middle of the entrance.

He stood up, along with Kade. They glanced back at each other, and then back at the entrance.

"Who are you?" Kade demanded as he took a step forward.

The dark figure didn't move.

Dante now took a step forward. "Show yourself, coward!"

With those words, the figure stepped forward. The fire from the burning walls was enough light for Dante to see that it was a bald man with a small book in his hands.

"Arkham!" he said as he clenched his teeth. Dante prepared to leap forward, but was held back by a large, charcoal hand.

"Do not attack him, Dante," Kade said as he pushed Dante back slightly.

Dante's eyes widened. "No Kade, you don't understand! He's the one who helped Vergil erect the Tower, he's…"

Kade once again interrupted. "Dante, Dante! Look at his eyes!"

Date looked at Arkham's eyes. They were abnormally shining red, even brighter than the fire that surrounded him.

Kade lowered his voice. "He is possessed."

Dante quit struggling to strike. Kade removed his hand.

He stood up straight and faced Arkham. "Listen to me, human. Are you aware that you are not yourself? Are you aware that you are being used as a pawn?"

Arkham did not respond. He only opened his book the middle and began to recite a spell. From the two sides of the book came two symmetrical shooting streams of fire.

The fire hit the ground, then began to swirl in place. Slowly, two great Demon Abyss warriors rose from the pools. Their main color seemed to be a bright shade of white, which was surrounded in dancing flames of orange and red. They each held a demonic staff with a large, curving blade. They were much taller than Arkham and seemed to fill the rest of the space between Arkham and the entrance.

They each took a step forward and snarled at Dante and Kade.

Arkham turned around, but glanced back at the two warriors inside the Sanctuary.

"Destroy them."

Kade glanced at Dante, who quickly grabbed his sword, which was leaning up against the bedpost.

Kade shook his head. "You can't possibly fight, Dante. Your wound is not yet healed."

"Screw healing," Dante began. He swung his sword around and pointed it at the two Abyss Knights.

"It's Showtime!"

* * *

Sparda landed on one knee. He gripped his sword in chest and with one motion, yanked it out with a grunt.

He stood up and looked around him.

Large, black trees hung over his head that curved in to one another, forming a crooked, twisted path into darkness. Smaller, more livelier plant life surrounded his feet and stretched as far as the eye could see. Large, uneven spider webs prevented him from seeing beyond certain places. The moon was shining down on the area, causing certain parts of the path to light up. This wasn't Hell. He was in a forest. A cold, strange forest.

Sparda glanced up at a single tree branch. A small black bat hung from the tree. It screeched at him. Sparda looked beside it. There was another bat there. He frowned.

Sparda looked around him, and eventually two bats turned into one hundred bats, screeching and flying around him, soaring past his eyes and underneath his arms. Eventually all of the bats flew in unison and began to spin rapidly in a circle.

Eventually, the one hundred bats morphed into a strikingly attractive half-naked woman. Her skin was a pale shade between purple and grey. Her lips were blood red and her eyes were a translucent orange. The only thing covering her breasts were tow long strands of her fire-red hair.

As she stretched and yawned, she revealed a naked leg from her black bat-like gown and placed her hands on her hips.

She smiled as she gazed at the Knight before her.

"Ooh, it's been a while, Dark Knight."

Sparda smiled and held out his hand. "It has been a long time,"

The woman moved forward and shook Sparda's hand.

Sparda nodded his head and shook her hand.

"Nevan."

Nevan smiled and laughed slightly. "You always were such a gentleman, Sparda. Even when I tried to tear that pretty little face of yours off."

Nevan caressed Sparda's cheek as she slowly circled around him.

"What brings you to my forest, sugar?" questioned Nevan.

Sparda followed her gaze as she continued to move around him.

"I don't know how I ended up here. I tried to teleport back to the Demon World to find my son, but instead, I appeared here."

Nevan put her hands around Sparda's shoulders and embraced him.

"Poor baby. Is big old Mundus picking on you again?"

Sparda shook his head and laughed to himself. "You could say that, yes."

Nevan released Sparda. "Did you mention your son?"

Sparda nodded. "Yes. His name is Dante."

Nevan nodded in return. "I have met your darling son before, Sparda. We had a little fun in the Temen-Ni-Gru a while ago."

"So, might I ask, how did I end up here, Nevan?" Sparda stared her straight in the eyes.

"Oh darling, ever since Mundus left the Demon World and returned, everything was altered and changed around. You are still in Hell, just very far away from where you want to be."

Nevan held out a hand and ran it down Sparda's armor. "Why don't you come with me. I'll take care of you. It can be quite tricky to find your way in these forests."

Sparda nodded. "So Mundus is here somewhere. Very well. I'll join you. But on one condition, Nevan."

Nevan held out her hands. "Anything for the Legendary Dark Knight."

In an instant, Sparda unequipped his sword from his back and held it at Nevan's throat. Her eyes widened. She continued to keep her hands away from her body.

"Do not betray me. You did trick me many years ago, and I understand why. You had to serve Mundus, or he would of eliminated you. I forgive you for that, but this is a matter that involves my son. And when my son is involved, I consider Demons like you to be stones; stones I might just have to step over in order to reach my goal."

Nevan smiled. "There is absolutely no chance of me betraying you again, Honey. I cross my heart." Nevan took her hand and moved it seductively around her chest, forming an invisible cross.

She gently gripped Sparda's sword and began to push it away.

"Now, why don't you put that big old sword away and follow me."

Nevan turned around and walked away with here hands still on her hips. She purposely added a little bit of a curvy bump in her steps and glanced back at Sparda.

"Are you coming, dear?" she asked, grinning.

Sparda closed his eyes for a moment. Something didn't feel right. But if placing his trust in Nevan was what he had to do in order to save Dante, he was willing to.

After a moment Sparda opened his eyes and quickly caught up to Nevan, who was already somewhat fading away under the moonlight in the dark trail of the forest.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, since my fingers won't work anymore, I decided to end the chapter here. I also decided to make it a bit longer because of a small request from Bustahead in his review of Chapter VI. Also, I finally finished DMC3. The ending blew me away. It was awesome! I won't give it away to those who haven't played the game yet, but let me just give you a hint of advice: after the ending sequence, you get to just play around and kill random demons as the credits roll. DON'T WASTE ANY TIME THOUGH! If you look to the upper right portion of the screen, there is a counter for every demon you kill. When you get to kill # 99, you have to fight a Van Hellguard. Trust me when I say it's well worth it. Let's just say you get a certain prize. And don't worry. You can't be damaged because you don't have a Health Meter. In the meantime, hope you enjoy this chapter. Please keep reviewing!

-Chris

* * *


	8. Chapter VII

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER VII**

* * *

I have realized now that I was wrong about the whole Eva/Priestess situation. A bunch of people have brought it to my attention, so thanks for that. I do plan on going back and making the proper corrections and changes to the Chapter, but I won't do that just yet. I wanted to get this next chapter out first. Read on!

* * *

The closest Abyss Knight to Kade growled and swung its massive staff at him. Before the blow connected, Kade was able to lift his arm up, blocking the attempted hit. The force sent him staggering toward the right wall of the Sanctuary.

Dante had only a moment to roll out of the way as the other Demon's sharp blade attached to the end of his staff tore through the rough ground. The Demon struggled to pry the staff out of the soil.

Dante laughed.

He placed his hand on his hip and leaned over closer to the Abyss Knight. "What's the matter? Can't get the stupid staff out of the ground? Here," he said as he held up his foot. "I'll help you!"

With a quick kick, the Demon's powerful staff broke in two. It staggered back with a puzzled look on its face. The other end of the staff was still stuck in the ground.

Dante laughed once again at his opponent. His cocky grin soon changed once the angry Demon threw down the broken staff and charged at him. It attempted to wrap its fiery arms around Dante's waste, but the Demon Hunter was far too quick.

Dante again rolled out of the way with about a second to spare. The Abyss Knight turned around, infuriated. Dante leaned up against a small stone table near the back of the Sanctuary and sighed.

"I'm beginning to think you're not even trying. Come on, I can't be this hard to catch." With every word that escaped Dante's mouth, the demon took a deeper breath.

It clenched its fists together and pointed them at Dante. A large fireball quickly shot out of its hands and headed straight for Dante. His shoulders dropped.

"Oh Shit."

Kade was having problems of his own. The Abyss Demon he was battling with still had its staff. It was using it to try to choke Kade. Kade, however, maintained his defense by using his powerful arms to push the force away from his throat.

Once he figured he had created enough distance between he and his enemy, he kicked it away and snapped into his Demon fighting stance.

The Abyss Knight raised its hands over its head and brought its staff down. With his two hands, Kade caught the blade and shoved it away. The Demon dropped his weapon. He used the momentum from pushing the blade away to punch the Demon in the face.

Kade blocked several harsh blows from his enemy before one managed to get through. The Abyss Knight landed a perfect knee to Kade's chin. Kade was momentarily shaken up by the blow, but got right back into the fight by charging at the Demon and leaping into the air.

He used his right foot to kick the Abyss Knight in the chest, and used the left to plant a kick on its jaw.

The large Demon dropped to one knee.

Kade walked up to it, grabbed it by the top of its head, and using all of his strength, uppercutted the massive demon. The force from the blow caused the Demon to slowly teeter back and forth. This gave Kade time to clutch the fiery staff from the ground.

He stood before the Demon with its own staff in his hands. The Abyss Knight let out a loud squeal, which was soon cut short when its head was separated from its body. It fell to the ground and rolled in Kade's direction. He stepped on the head and crushed it into the Sanctuary floor.

His foot was soon surrounded by a small pile of charcoal ash as the head from the Demon deteriorated, along with its staff, along with the rest of its body.

Kade looked over at Dante, who was standing awfully close to the back of the Sanctuary.

The remaining Abyss Demon slowly stalked Dante as Dante continued to take small steps back with his hands out in case he should accidentally bump into anything.

The giant Demon held up its staff and prepared to end Dante with one final blow. But before it could, Dante slashed down on the Abyss Knight with his sword. The end of the blade dug diagonally into its chest, causing small spurts of fire to shoot out.

Dante gripped his sword with both hands and grunted.

Kade held up his hand and motioned for Dante to stop, but it was too late.

With all of his strength, Dante lifted the Abyss Knight up with his sword and threw it over his head, into the Mirror Portal at the back of the Sanctuary.

Instantly, the mirror shattered into a million pieces of small glass shards.

The demon was reduced to a small pile of ashes like its accomplice at Dante's feet.

Kade sighed. "That was our only sure way out of this Realm, Dante."

Dante looked nervously around at the broken pieces of the once magnificent mirror.

"Sorry."

* * *

Sparda managed to keep up with Nevan's pace now since she slowed down a little.

"How is it possible that you are here, Nevan?" Sparda questioned, looking at Nevan's face.

Nevan returned the look. "Like I mentioned before, Sugar, after Mundus re-entered the Human World, everything shifted. He assigned me to guard the portal you came from and do away with any trespassers."

She stopped and caressed Sparda's cheek. "I just couldn't resist helping such a handsome Devil."

After a moment, Sparda frowned. "Nevan, why have we stopped?"

Nevan held up her hands and uncurled her fingers. "Because, darling, we're here."

Sparda paused. "Where is here?"

"Nevan?"

As soon as her name escaped Sparda's mouth, Nevan took off down the trail at a very fast pace. Confused, Sparda sprinted after her.

He could see her image getting farther and farther away. "Nevan, slow down!" he called out, but nothing was stopping Nevan.

Sparda came to an abrupt halt.

Just like that, Nevan had vanished. She was no where to be seen. Sparda looked around.

"Nevan, where did you go?" he asked, but there was no response. Suddenly, a swarm of large black bats surrounded Sparda and began to circle in on him.

Sparda heard a voice through the screeching bats.

"You really should learn to keep up, Darling. It can be quite hard to get out of these forests if you should somehow…lose your way."

Sparda gritted his teeth. "Nevan, you swore!"

Nevan let out a joyful cackle.

As she did, two massive silver chains came out of nowhere and clamped onto Sparda's hands. He glanced down at them. Two large stone poles seemed to fall from the sky and impaled the two chains into the soft soil of the trail.

This caused Sparda's arms to stretch out. He flexed his wrists and attempted to break free of the chains. It was no use.

Nevan materialized before his eyes with her hands once again at her sides. She leaned over and spoke into his ear.

"Ooh, sorry dear. It's just that Mundus offered me a special gift if I could capture the Legendary Dark Knight. You understand, don't you?'

Sparda frowned and looked into Nevan's eyes.

"You promised me, Nevan."

"You promised me."

Nevan put her hand to his drooping head and gently lifted it up. "I truly am sorry Sparda. I swear if Mundus hadn't gained enough power to enter the Human World again, I might've helped you. You believe me, don't you?"

Sparda closed his icy blue eyes.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."

"Nevan sighed. "You're right, Sparda. I thought a Demon as smart and wise as you would have figured out that lesson years ago."

Nevan stood to her full height and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Well Darling, I'd love to stay and talk but _he'll_ be coming soon."

She lowered her voice. "And I wouldn't want to be around when he makes his entrance."

As Nevan turned around and began to saunter away, Sparda struggled once again to break free of his restricting chains.

"Nevan!" he yelled, but it was no use. She had betrayed him. She had left him to die.

Sparda wasn't thinking of how he would take revenge on her. He wasn't even thinking about how he would go about defeating the Mighty Mundus. He could only think about who… or what…was coming for him in the dark, silent forest.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, another chapter in the bag. I don't have much to say this time, except for please keep reviewing this story. I really appreciate it.

-Chris

* * *


	9. Chapter VIII

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE**

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER VIII**

* * *

_She wouldn't stop crying. _

_No matter what he said, she just wouldn't stop crying._

"_Come on, dear. If you tell me what is wrong it will help, I promise." _

_She was sitting on the bedroom carpet. She shifted her position slightly so that she was now leaning up against the bed._

_He slowly walked over to the bed and sat down in front of her. He placed his legs on each side of her and sighed. He took his hands and placed them on her slender shoulders and began applying the skills he had in the art of massaging. She closed her eyes and did not open them. He continued to massage, then stopped for a moment._

"_Please, Eva. Tell me what is wrong. Please."_

_Eva gazed up at her husband, her eyes glazed over with tears. She grasped his hands on her shoulders, pulled them down, and gently crossed them. _

_She closed her eyes once again._

"_Sparda?"_

"_Yes, dear?"_

"_I'm pregnant."_

_A wave of emotions crashed over Sparda like something he had never felt before._

_He smiled as he gently turned his wife around. He plopped himself onto the floor and embraced her. As she smiled and continued to cry, Sparda pried himself away from her. He wiped a tear that fell from her cheek and tilted his head to the side._

"_Eva, why do you cry?"_

_Sparda was very puzzled. He thought that his wife would be more than happy to announce her news to him. But instead, it seemed as if she had been more crushed than anything about the situation._

_Eva smiled the kind of smile that told him she knew why she was crying… and he wouldn't be able to figure it out._

_She took her hand and caressed his cheek softly. "I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm happy."_

_Sparda pretended to understand with a slow nod and an "Oh…", but she knew he still had no clue why she cried._

_At this moment, he reminded her of a small child trying to pretend to understand Grade Nine Mathematics. She laughed and sighed. _

"_It's okay if you don't understand, Sparda. Crying is one of those characteristics only a human can possess. Besides, you look so cute when you're confused."_

_Sparda smiled and laughed a little himself. As he embraced his wife once again, he placed his large, charcoal hand on her stomach. _

_All of a sudden, a blurry image of three great red eyes smothered in a cloud of swirling black magic entered his mind. _

_Sparda's icy blue eyes shot open. _

"_They will be born as twins, Sparda. And once they are old enough to accept it, they will be taken from this world and into the Underworld. They will serve me, Sparda. And there's nothing you can do to prevent it." _

_The three eyes quit speaking and let out a stream of evil laughter as the vision dissipated from Sparda's mind. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. _

"_Mundus."_

_Eva pried herself from Sparda and took his hand from her stomach. _

"_What is that, dear?"_

_Eva received no response. _

"_Sparda?"_

_Sparda shook the image from his mind. "Don't worry, Eva," Sparda began as an image of the Dark Angel of Hell entered his thoughts once again._

"_No harm will ever come to our children."_

"_Ever."_

_As Sparda sighed once again from the impact of his wife's news, he put his hands on her shoulders and straightened his back._

"_Eva."_

"_Yes, Sparda?"_

"_I love you."_

* * *

Those last words resonated through Sparda's mind as he managed to open his eyes slightly.

He realized now that he had broken a promise to his wife.

The sun had almost risen over the dark forest, leaving the sky in a state of dark orange.

He had dropped to his knees from the pain of standing. His arms hung limp in the grip of the cold chains that were driven into the soil.

He figured it had to be at least three or four hours ago when he had slipped into unconsciousness…three or four hours ago when that bitch Nevan had betrayed him.

He knew there was absolutely nothing he could do now but wait, wait for the creature Nevan had mentioned before she left.

As his consciousness threatened to deplete him again, Sparda thought of his son.

He thought of Dante.

He knew that Dante would be alive as long as Kade managed to find him. Sparda had placed his trust into Kade many times before on certain missions, and Kade hadn't failed him once. So why this sudden feeling of guilt? Why this sudden feeling of uneasiness? Was Dante dead? Was Kade dead? Had Mundus won?

As all different types of thoughts and questions flooded Sparda's mind, he closed his eyes, and prepared to let unconsciousness take him again.

Then, it happened.

Two great Huskies came rushing and barking from behind Sparda and ran in front of him. They circled around each other and growled at the helpless Sparda.

A blue mist rose from behind the Huskies and began to swirl in a large circle. Before Sparda could realize what was happening, a giant warrior appeared from the mist before his eyes.

He was at least seven feet tall when he stood at full height. He wore giant spiked gauntlets on his forearms that covered his hands. The same giant spiked gauntlets covered his legs from the kneecap down. His armor was also massive and covered his broad shoulders and his chest. The armor stopped halfway down his body to reveal a bony ribcage. The same blue mist from which the creature came from now swirled around his exposed midsection and all around his body. To Sparda, his face was hard to make out through the blue mist, but he could see that the warrior's head was actually a half-skull with no teeth. It was small when compared to the rest of his stature. It had only one yellowish eye. The most amazing feature about the Demon Knight was his giant tribal-engraved Sword that he held with both hands at his chest.

The giant Knight spoke in a whisper. He was reciting some ancient saying that he uttered whenever he made his entrance.

This sparked Sparda's memory. He remembered who this magnificent Demon before him was.

He was the only Demon Knight Sparda battled against and could not defeat.

It was Bolverk.

* * *

If you'll think back to Devil May Cry II, you'll remember that Bolverk was the great Demon Knight who fought with Sparda, and from what I remember, was the only boss who gave me a little trouble. I'mnot sure if Sparda couldn't defeat Bolverk, and I'm pretty sure he did, but the Enemy File on Devil May Cry II only states that Bolverk battled Sparda, it doesn't state whether he won or not. So, for this story, and plot, he won. I actually intended for this chapter to be quite longer, but it didn't really fit into the next chapter, which I haven't written yet, but I have already planned the events that will take place in it. Read and enjoy! (And review please.)

-Chris

* * *


	10. Chapter IX

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER IX**

* * *

Author's Note: Just before you go on to read this Chapter, I thought you all should know that it has come to my attention that Bolverk's companions are actually Wolves, not Huskies (which, strangely enough I already knew but made a mistake on it). From this point forward, I will refer to them as Wolves, not Huskies. Bare with me folks, I've only made two major mistakes with this story so far...

* * *

Kade looked around at what remained of the small Sanctuary.

"Gather your belongings, Dante. We're leaving this place."

Dante looked around for his trenchcoat. Kade motioned over to a large stone statue near the back of the room. The statue's hands were gripping a staff where Dante's coat hung. He grabbed it and put it on. He shrugged his shoulders allowing the coat to take shape to his body.

He walked over to the small bed and grabbed his leaning sword from the bedpost. Kade looked around slowly at his home. He closed his green eyes and shook his head.

Dante frowned. "What's wrong?"

Kade opened his eyes. 'Nothing. It's just…" he held out his hands. "This was the place that your Father brought me to after he defeated me in battle in Mundus's Throneroom. Now it's destroyed."

Dante put his hand on Kade's shoulder. "I know what it's like to lose things that mean a lot to you, Kade. Trust me when I say that small sacrifices must be made in order to fulfill a greater purpose. Think how great you will feel when we defeat Mundus. You won't think twice of this place."

Kade nodded. "I suppose you're right, young Dante. After all, Sparda did defeat Mundus once long ago."

Dante nodded. "Yeah, but with the power he has now…I don't know if my Father alone can take him down. I fought him, Kade. I fought him with everything I had, and he toyed with me like I was an ant."

Kade turned around and slowly started walking toward the blown up entrance doors.

"That is why me must now find your father, Dante. We must help him in his quest."

Dante frowned a little as he followed Kade to the entrance. "But he said he would come for me in the Underworld. Doesn't that mean he'll end up in this place eventually?"

Kade nodded. "Yes Dante. You are right. But there is a way we can enter the Human World before Sparda has a chance to enter this world."

Kade let Dante exit ahead of him and took one last look at the place he would never lay eyes upon again.

* * *

As Dante and Kade reached the outer area outside the Sanctuary, they realized that the water that once occupied the surrounding area was now converted into two giant walls of water that crashed against the cliffside of the Amphitheater.

Dante glanced around him as a tiny amount of the water shot out from the stream and hit him in the face. He wiped it off with his hand and continued to look around.

Kade started walking along the narrow gray bridge that broke off from the Sanctuary's entrance, which was now revealed under the waters.

"It would've taken quite a bit of force to part these waters."

Kade nodded. "It must have been Arkham." Kade looked at Dante, who was a couple of feet behind him.

"He has the power to do almost anything now that Mundus controls his soul."

Dante, angered by the mere mention of Arkham, decided to change the subject.

"Where do we go now, Kade?"

Kade stopped walking. He pointed his finger to the distance ahead of them. There was a small, blurry swirling gray image at the end of the bridge that seemed to float in the air. It was barely visible to their eyes.

"Do you see that swirling image down there?" Kade asked.

Dante squinted to see the small image. "Yes. Is that where we have to go?"

Kade nodded. "Yes." He began to walk toward it. "Long ago, after Sparda defeated Mundus in this Realm and confined his soul to a statue, Mundus was considered powerless. He knew that one day he would break free of the statue, but he created a secret Gateway just in case something ever prevented him from it."

As Dante and Kade approached the swirling gray image, it became much larger to their eyes. Kade continued to talk.

"We would have had no way of finding this Gateway because it was underneath the Sea. Since Arkham parted these waters…"

He found no need to continue on with his sentence.

Finally, he and Dante came to the swirling image, which Dante could now tell was a massive portal. On the other side of the portal was a set of stone steps that led up to a tribal-framed mirror. He and Kade stepped through the portal slowly.

On the other side, everything appeared as normal. Kade and Dante slowly began to climb the steps as Kade continued his story.

"Only certain Demon Knights and Generals know about this secret. Since I was once Mundus's top General, I was given the honor of knowing its location."

They reached the top of the stairs. The mirror showed them each a larger, more distorted image of themselves. Kade looked over to Dante. "I must warn you, young Dante, that this Gateway has a keeper that isn't very pleasant. If we do exactly as I say I am sure we can…Dante?"

Kade was forced to stop. Dante smiled at the image before him.

"Man. I've been stabbed, tortured, nearly axed to death," he looked at Kade with a jackass grin. "And I still look damn good."

Kade tried to say something in response, but just ended up looking at him and sighing.

Dante apologized and Kade continued. "I have met this keeper once in my time, and our meeting did not go that well. You have to remember, Dante, that this Gatekeeper was appointed by Mundus to guard this Gateway."

Dante nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?"

As they entered the mirrored portal, they immediately found themselves in a small dark tomb-like room. The small candles and torches that clung to the rocky walls provided the little light.

In the center of the small room stood a great Demon Statue carved out of stone. The bottom resembled an altar-type base that led into half a body and two massive arms that were holding a dark red orb in each hand.

The statue was bald, except for one small spike that protruded from the middle of its forehead. Written across the altar were the ancient words that no Demon had recited in ages:

"_Survive the two tests _

_to ignite the two orbs_

_And the Gatekeeper shall_

_Grant you passage to the _

_Human Realm"_

As Kade read the scripture aloud, Dante scaled his hand across the Statue's base.

He took a couple of steps back and stared at the massive Gatekeeper.

"Doesn't look so tough to me."

As soon as those words escaped Dante's mouth, the giant Statue roared as the small room crumbled and shook violently.

Both Dante and Kade grasped onto the rocky sides of the room as the Gatekeeper awoke.

It let out a low growl before speaking. "Who dares to disturb me from my slumber?"

Kade stepped forward, his ashen-black cloak fluttering slightly as he did.

"Royal Demon Gatekeeper, it is I, Kade. One of Lord Mundus's…"

"I know who you are, Kade. Too long has it been since our last encounter."

The eyes of the Statue fixated onto Dante, who was only a few feet away from Kade.

"And who are you, stranger?"

Dante took one step forward. "I am Dante Sparda."

Right after Dante spoke, the Gatekeeper replied.

"You are a Sparda?"

Dante answered.

"Yes. I am trying to locate my Father before he enters this Realm. And I think it would benefit you to cooperate with us."

* * *

Bolverk would have been an amazing Knight who most likely would have helped Sparda greatly in his quest to take down Mundus if he weren't corrupted by evil long ago.

Sparda remembered their last battle and how fiercely the two fought. It ended somewhere in Hell's outer regions on top of a great tower. There had been a great storm raging as the two dueled. Sparda had fought with every ounce of skill and strength that he could, but the much larger Bolverk was just too powerful.

Bolverk managed to impale Sparda through his chest and kick him off the top of the tower. Sparda fell to what Bolverk thought was certain death.

Obviously, he was wrong.

As Bolverk and Sparda stared back and forth at each other, the two wolves in front of Bolverk started to growl again.

"It seems they remember your scent, Legendary Dark Knight." Bolverk spoke words, but it seemed as if they were only low whispers that echoed everywhere around Sparda.

"Greetings, Bolverk. It has been a while, has it not?" Sparda replied to the great Demon Knight that stood before him.

"Yes, it has," Bolverk began as he took one hand away from his amazing sword and gripped it tightly with the other. He swung it down from his chest and put the tip into the soil.

"And I have a strange feeling that in this very forest, history is doomed to repeat itself."

Bolverk moved his small skull head slightly toward the exhausted Sparda.

"Don't you agree?"

Sparda closed his eyes and concentrated. He stood up from his knees and grunted. The chains around his wrists had made small grooved wounds into his charcoal flesh. He grabbed the two chains with his hands and tightened his grip as large veins began to sprout out everywhere on his muscled body.

Sparda growled once more. A red mist covered his entire body and he arched his back as he grew larger. The wings on his back also enlarged and flapped wildly. He grew at least twice his normal size.

The two wooden poles that held his chains in place cracked down the middle and broke into two. He roared once again as he gripped the small chains around his wrists and shattered them.

In his Devil Trigger State, Sparda was almost as large as Bolverk.

As Sparda came closer to him, Bolverk remained where he was. He was, without a doubt, the only Demon in Hell that was not intimidated by Sparda.

Since Sparda had been in his chains, he was not at his full strength and could not remain in Devil Trigger for much longer. Knowing fully of this fact, he decided to conserve what little energy he had and morphed back into his normal Demon Sate. He knew he would need as much energy as he could muster to face Bolverk.

Sparda reached around to his back and yanked his sword from its holster. It sung with a light hum as he brought it across his chest and then to the tip of the soil.

Bolverk cracked his skull neck slowly from side to side and shrugged his massive shoulders. He was ready.

The two wolves that accompanied him sat patiently on either side of him.

Sparda looked him in his one yellow eye. "I have waited a very long time for this, Bolverk."

Bolverk laughed in a whisper. "I shall not disappoint."

Sparda held his sword behind him and let out a loud cry as he charged at his enemy. He swung his sword down. Bolverk quickly raised his sword from the soil and held it in front of him.

The two swords clashed together and created a small spark as Sparda pushed forward. Bolverk used only the one hand that was gripping the sword to push him away.

Sparda planted his feet in the soil, which stopped him from sliding any further away. Bolverk moved forward and slashed downward at him. Sparda leapt into the air and pushed off of Bolverk's massive shoulders.

He landed on the side of a tree and sprung off of it. He managed to catch Bolverk off guard and side-kicked him with both feet across his face.

Bolverk staggered a little before shaking his skull and regaining his balance.

The second Sparda landed, he kicked Bolverk in his exposed ribcage causing him to hunch forward, allowing Sparda plant a perfect punch to the side of his small skull.

Sparda gripped the handle of his sword with both hands and slashed in an upward motion at Bolverk's huge chest.

As Bolverk staggered into the nearest tree that would support his weight, Sparda planned on moving in for another attack.

No matter what, he knew he would have to keep his attacks fast if he planned on taking down the Demon Knight. That was, of course, if he was at his highest energy level.

Exhausted from using so much energy, Sparda let his sword drop slightly. He began to breathe heavily and blink more often.

Bolverk could tell that he was exhausted. He pushed off of the tree and walked toward his opponent. Sparda attempted a sloppy punch with his left hand.

Bolverk caught it and twisted his arm back. Sparda grunted in pain. Bolverk landed a massive punch to his gut that winded Sparda. Still holding his left hand, Bolverk punched Sparda across his face. He let go of his hand as Sparda fell to the soil.

Bolverk drove his foot across Sparda's chest, pushing him deeper into the soil. He pointed the tip of his giant tribal sword at Sparda's throat.

"You are not at your best, Demon Warrior."

Sparda hesitated for a moment, then hit Bolverk's sword away. He sprung to his feet and again began to breathe large breaths.

Bolverk walked toward him. Sparda swung his sword a couple of times as Bolverk blocked each attempt. The two clashed swords for a while until Bolverk hit Sparda's sword up and off to the side and drove his tribal sword through his chest. Sparda yelled in pain.

"It seems history _was_ doomed to repeat itself, Legendary Dark Knight."

Sparda closed his eyes and grunted. Bolverk did not wish to inflict any more pain on his arch rival.

"You are not at your full skill, Sparda. You are weak and exhausted."

As much as Sparda wanted to continue fighting, he knew that the words Bolverk was speaking were true.

"I do wish to fight you, but it would be dishonorable to battle an opponent when they are not at their full strength."

Bolverk pulled his sword from Sparda's chest. Sparda fell to his knees.

Before disappearing into the blue mist from which he came, Bolverk turned to Sparda.

"When you have regained your strength, you will know where to find me."

And just like that, Bolverk and his two wolves became engulfed with the blue mist and were gone.

Sparda stood up and held his wound with his left hand. His sword lay limp in his right. He figured his wound would soon heal up.

He took in a deep breath and walked forward on the trail. He remembered seeing Nevan take a certain pathway when she left him behind.

He walked through the forest, which seemed much larger because was now flooded with daylight. Sparda stood out like a diamond in the rough due to his charcoal skin compared to the bright brown trees and green plant life.

He walked the entire length of the winding pathway until he came to a small, golden-colored shrine. Four small pillars held up the low-hanging roof. Sparda had to duck to fit inside. Once inside, he descended the few steps and was able to stand at full height because the small shrine was underground.

There was a large altar near the back of the shrine. There was a large, swirling crystal tablet hovering in the center of the altar that emitted some sort of purple energy.

Sparda noticed an old and torn piece of paper lying on the altar. He walked up to the altar and glanced at the crystal tablet before picking up the paper.

He held the piece of paper in one hand and his sword in the other. He read the paper:

"_Just in case you somehow defeated Bolverk, I placed this crystal here in the shrine as a means of transportation, sugar. I told you I'd help you. Oh, one more thing, I wouldn't make it that easy for you, darling. You must first figure out how to regenerate its power before it will work. Look inside your soul."_

The note was not signed, but Sparda knew who had written it. He hated how she had to toy with him before actually ever helping him.

_Look insideyour soul…What the Hell does that mean?" _Sparda thought to himself.

Sighing a deep sigh, Sparda put his sword down across the altar and thought of how to decode the crystal tablet. He figured he had some time before any demons were sent after him to confirm his defeat.

What he did not realize, though, was the spy outside of the shrine that hid behind one of the trees. The spy placed one hand on the tree and leaned out from behind it, glancing at the shrine.

He was of average height and wore a ninja garb with a black silk mask that covered his face, except for half of his nose and his bright, blue eyes. He seemed to be composed entirely of lightning, as small jolts of it continuously ran up and down his body. Tied to his green sash belt was a holster that held his katana sword and daggers.

Confirming that his target had not been killed by Bolverk, the mysterious spy teleported out of the bright forest. He had news for his master.

* * *

The Prison Cell in which Mundus stood was very large. There was dark orange light from the outside seeping in through the bars of the roof. Surrounding Mundus were four cells placed equally apart from each other. Within each cell lie a great beast, which only features shown were their glowing blue eyes, large tails, and chained paws due to the misty air. Whenever one of them exhaled, it let out a cloud of breath.

In front of Mundus, the spy that was in the forest appeared. The electricity surrounding his form created a little more light in the dense prison fog.

The spy bowed. "Greetings, Lord Mundus. I have discovered that Bolverk did not defeat the Legendary Dark Knight. Bolverk had the chance, to finish him, but did not." The spy's voice resembled a snake's.

Mundus placed a hand on his chin and stroked his stone-carved beard.

"Interesting."

"Also, my Lord, Nevan has left the crystal orb within the shrine so that Sparda could escape the forest."

Mundus squinted. "Is that so?"

The spy nodded. "I saw it with my own eyes, my Lord."

Mundus looked away in disbelief and motioned his servant to exit. The spy bowed and vanished once again.

* * *

The smell of rotten flesh and thick dust immediately entered Nevan's nostrils as she appeared before Mundus in the Prison.

Mundus frowned. "Have you completed your mission, Nevan?" he asked.

Nevan bowed. "Yes, my Lord. Bolverk has taken care of Sparda. I have done what you have asked."

Before Nevan had a chance to look up at her master, she was struck to the ground with a slap across her face.

She flipped her hair back and stared up at her master with a flare in her eyes.

"I do not understand, my Lord."

Mundus walked up to her and kicked her in the stomach. Nevan let out a gasp for air and crawled a few feet away.

"My spy has informed me of your betrayal, Nevan. You let Sparda go."

Nevan quickly responded. "No, no my Lord. I chained him up…I let Bolverk kill him…I" Before Nevan could finish her explanation, she was again struck across the face, but with more force.

"You left the crystal within the shrine so he could come here!" Mundus was infuriated. No one has ever betrayed him since General Kade many ages ago.

Nevan wiped a trickle of blood away from her face as she looked up in fear at her master.

"All I've ever done is serve you, my Lord." Nevan tried desperately to save her own soul.

Mundus glanced at Nevan. His blows had caused her bat garb to ride up slightly, exposing much of her legs and her waist. He looked at her curves, then knelt down beside her. He picked up a strand of her curly red hair and caressed it.

"If you had completed you mission, you would have been rewarded greatly, Nevan. I might have even let you have the honor ofspending a night in my sleeping quarters…"

As Mundus revealed his true intentions, Nevan made a sickened expression and crawled further away.

Mundus grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled it harshly. She screamed and grabbed his hand. Mundus released her hair and stood to his full height.

"Consider yourself released from my services."

Nevan gritted her teeth and frowned at her former master.

"I must go now and confront Bolverk and Arkham."

Mundus glanced at the four cells around him. The beasts inside were growing restless. One of them clamped onto the cell bars with its large, chained hands and bent them slightly.

Mundus looked down on Nevan. "They can smell your blood."

Mundus looked back to the beasts in their prison cells.

"I am the Ruler of the Underworld, and even I do not possess the power to control these Demon Beasts."

As Mundus moved toward the large Chamber door, he took one last look at Nevan.

"Pray that your Dark Knight shows up in time to save you."

Mundus pulled the lever beside the Chamber door. The cell bars lifted up as the four giant Demon Beasts began closing in on Nevan. She backed all the way up to a far wall and clutched her knees. She put her head down as a small tear rolled down her cheek and mixed in with the blood from her mouth.

As the Demon Beasts came closer to devouring her, Nevan, for the first time, prayed that Sparda would save her.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I think it's safe to say it took way too long for this chapter to come out. I promise the next one willbe done much quicker. I don't know why but I felt it necessary to make Mundus kind of a creep toward Nevan. Sorry if there's any mistakes. I didn't really check it overthat well becauseI wanted to post it as soon as I was done writing it. Please keep reviewing!

-Chris

* * *


	11. Chapter X

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER X**

* * *

Author's Note: The reason why this chapter didn't get sent in as soon as I had planned is because a family member very close to me passed away recently. All my attention and focus was dedicated to that. Karimaru, you pretty much read my mind about adding Lady to this story. She won't, however, make an appearance just yet. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

* * *

Nevan could almost smell the rotting breath of the great Demon Beats preparing to devour her flesh. As they closed in on her, she stood up. Using her powers, Nevan up her hands and created a large wall of bluish white lightning energy that spread across the small prison. It now divided her and the beasts. 

One of the beasts came a little too close to the lightning wall and caught its nose on it. It sparked as the beast pulled back and screeched. The four Demons started to slash and claw the wall, hoping to tear it down.

Nevan looked around frantically. She could find nothing that would help her in subduing her four new enemies . At least the wall of lightning would keep them at bay until she could reach the lever near the door. However, that task seemed more difficult than ever now that the demons had been released from their holding cells.

Nevan now wished she hadn't been so stubborn and purposely used all of the energy from the orb in the shrine.

She closed her eyes. "Sparda," she thought aloud. "Please help me."

* * *

In his deep train of thought, Sparda was instantly stricken with a slight feeling of panic. He shook his head and opened his icy blue eyes. 

He glanced around the shrine suspiciously. Nothing. He did not know why, but somebody he was acquainted with was in danger. All of a sudden, the uneasy feeling came back.

An eerie image of four great Demon Beasts surrounding a large flash of light flooded Sparda's mind as he blinked heavily. Somebody needed his help.

Then, from within the image, came her voice.

"_Please Sparda. If you can hear me, help. Before it is too late."_

Sparda closed his eyes quickly. He tried to think of what Nevan said.

"Look inside my soul…" Sparda tried not to think of the danger that Nevan was in. He tried to concentrate deeply on the orb.

"What is inside my soul that could be strong enough to restore power within the orb?" he wondered.

Sparda's concentration was breaking. He was losing his thoughts.

"Concentrate, damn you!" he spoke to himself.

"This is a riddle. There is nothing inside my soul that could release this power. Demons do not possess souls…"

Sparda frowned hard. He was on the right track. "Nevan knew this…"

Sparda placed his hands back on the altar to try to lean forward when he felt the handle of the sword that bore his own name.

"But what is in a soul?" he thought as he opened his eyes.

"Power, strength, courage, honor…" he said as he slowly raised his sword and gripped the handle with both of his charcoal hands.

"Everything that my sword possesses…my soul is not inside of me…it is inside of my sword…"

"It is my sword."

With one clear motion, Sparda slashed down on the crystal orb with his sword. Instantly, it shone rays of uneven purple light that broke through the dense, foggy air of the golden shrine.

The power that Sparda needed was now restored to the crystal orb. After a moment, the purple light spread across the entire shrine and engulfed Sparda in the process. Sparda's image shrunk down in size and began to swirl clockwise into the orb.

Soon, he was gone from the forest.

* * *

The force field of lightning that Nevan had created was slowly diminishing. 

The beasts would soon get through. Just as Nevan thought it was all over for her, a great flash of purple light filled her eyes. Within an instant, Sparda stood beside her with his sword by his side.

He looked at Nevan, then looked at the beasts. She waited for the signal. Sparda nodded and Nevan once again held out her hands. The wall of lightning snaked up her arms, then retreated back into her hands.

With one easy, swift motion, three of the four beasts' heads lay on the prison floor and Sparda's sword dripped with blood. The Demon's bodies fell one on top of the other, each shooting streams of blood onto the floor.

Nevan wondered why Sparda hadn't done away with all of the Beasts. Perhaps his sword was not long enough to behead all of them at once.

No, something was not right. Nevan knew that if Sparda wanted all of them dead, they would be dead.

The one Beast left alive began to slowly crawl up to Nevan. She began to crawl backward to the back of the prison once again. A look of pure fear swept her face as she glanced up to Sparda.

"Sparda…please!" Sparda's expression was lifeless. Even though the last Demon was growling loudly, Sparda spoke in a very low tone.

"Why should I stop this beast from taking your life, Nevan?" he asked calmly. Nevan kept on glancing back and forth between Sparda and the Beast.

"I…I helped you in the forest, I…" Nevan stumbled to find the right words. Sparda conveniently interrupted her.

"You betrayed me, Nevan. You chained me up. You left me to die in that forest."

"Nevan shook her head. "You must understand it was Mundus's orders! I had to do it!"

The Beast planted a paw on Nevan's bat dress. She tried to move away, which only tore it. The Beast planted its other massive paw near her shoulder, ensuring that its prey would not get away. As it leaned in close to her face, Sparda spoke.

"This is the same speech you fed to me last time, Nevan. I shouldn't have trusted you again."

The Beast roared loudly as a small trickle of thick saliva fell from its mouth. Through the roar, Nevan let out her last plea.

"I know what Mundus is planning to do!" She closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

It never came. Instead, she felt the large body of the Demon fall on top of her. Sparda pulled his sword from its neck.

He secured his sword to his back, then heaved the massive dead carcass of the beast off of Nevan. She exhaled slowly many times before looking up at Sparda.

After a moment Sparda gritted his teeth.

"Tell me."

Nevan swallowed and revealed Mundus's plans. "Do you remember the two Amulets that your sons had possession of?"

Sparda answered. "Of course I remember the two Amulets." He closed his eyes and barely spoke the next words. "They were from Eva."

Nevan continued. "Mundus knew where the two amulets were hidden. They were in an ancient temple in the Human World."

Sparda interrupted. "So that is why Mundus was in the Human World at the Temple. He was after the amulets."

Nevan nodded her head. "Yes. He wishes to merge the Demon World with the Human World once again."

Sparda spoke again. "But he already tried that. My son stopped him."

Nevan answered quickly. "Yes, but back then, he did not know the true power of the amulets. And believe me, Sparda, he does have enough power this time around."

Nevan finished. "He released me from his power and left me here to die once he figured out I did not destroy the crystal orb in the shrine. He wanted me dead." Nevan took a moment and continued.

"Then, he mentioned something about going to confront Bolverk and Arkham."

Sparda sighed, then held out his hand. Nevan grasped it and Sparda pulled her off of the cold, prison floor.

Without speaking a word, Sparda walked over to the lever near the chamber door and pulled it. The door opened. Nevan slowly walked over to Sparda.

"Now that Mundus does not control me any longer, I think I'll try seeing things on the other side from now on. On your side, Sparda."

Before they left the Prison, Nevan placed her hand on Sparda's chest.

"Thank you."

Sparda nodded. "You will soon learn, Nevan, that not all Demons are evil." At that very moment, Sparda was instantly reminded of Dante and Kade. He looked past the Prison Chamber door to the long, dark hallway that lay beyond it.

"And there are two out there that we must now find."

* * *

The Demon Gatekeeper simply laughed at Dante's threat. Though the rest of his stone figure was motionless, its eyes continued to glance back and forth between the two warriors. 

"You wish to return to the Human Realm, yet you choose to show the only one who can grant you access to it any respect?"

Dante gritted his teeth and looked at the massive statue. The Gatekeeper let out a chuckle.

"I would expect a little more class from the son of Sparda."

That did it. Dante was infuriated as he walked up to the statue. "You God Damn piece of…!"

Kade quickly rushed up to Dante and stopped him by placing his charcoal hand on Dante's red-clad shoulder.

"Dante, you mustn't. Remember, he is a Gatekeeper. They are some of the most dangerous Demons in the Underworld."

Dante didn't even bother to look at Kade while he was speaking to him. He took his hand and knocked on the statue's base with his knuckles.

"Yeah, well he doesn't look so tough to me."

The Gatekeeper figured he had toyed around with the two enough.

"You show courage, Son of Sparda." As the Gatekeeper spoke, an entranceway on both sides of him opened up. Above each door, there was a carving of a human skull. The entranceway on the left had one dark ruby eye set in the left socket. The entranceway to the right also only had one dark ruby, which was in the right eye socket.

"We shall see if it will hold up to the two trials."

Kade frowned slightly. In the past, he never had to perform any such trials in order to gain access to the Human World.

The eyes of the Gatekeeper fixated on the left door. "The entranceway to the left involves a test of both skill and knowledge." His eyes then fixated on the door to the right. "The entranceway to the right involves a test of brute strength."

After hearing of the trial to the right, Dante's eyes seemed to light up with a slight form of excitement.

Dante and Kade both glanced at each other. They did not have much time to decide. Before Kade had time to open his mouth, Dante grinned. "Do you even have to ask which one I want?"

Kade shook his head. "I assumed you had a little more brawn as oppose to the skill of knowledge, young Dante." Kade replied, his green-veined lips curling into a small smile.

Dante cracked his neck from side to side. Kade took a deep breath. The two companions slowly approached each entranceway. Dante looked over to the other side of the Gatekeeper and gave Kade a nod.

Kade nodded back and slowly entered the unknown.

* * *

When Mundus was confronted with the news that Bolverk had chose not to complete his mission in the forest, he was not sure how to react. 

There had never been a previous situation in which this particular instance had occurred.

Being the great Demon General that he was, Bolverk was granted his own Temple in the midst of Hell's higher planes. A gift that Mundus, and only Mundus could grant. Bolverk was, after all, one of the greatest if not _the_ greatest Demon Champion that stood at Mundus' side.

As Mundus approached the entrance to Bolverk's Temple, he sighed. This would be an interesting conversation indeed.

As he entered, he soon discovered that Bolverk's Temple was cold and dark. Large, purple silk drapes were strewn across the roof that fell all the way to the Golden-plated floor. Near the back of the Temple, there was a large window beside an outside balcony. Near the other side of the Temple was a large shrine-inspired set up that involved large candles and numerous small statues.

Mundus walked the length of the temple until he reached the window near the back. He glanced through it. Sure enough, standing with his back to Mundus, was the great Bolverk.

Mundus took his glance away from the window and walked outside on the balcony.

Bolverk stood with his feet planted, resting his massive hands on the ledge of the golden balcony. For the first time in a while, he was not holding his sword. Instead, it was leaning against a large warrior-type statue that was actually a place for his armor inside of the Temple near the shrine.

As Mundus approached, Bolverk glanced at him, then looked back to the planes of Hell.

Oddly enough, on this night, the sky was not orange and red like the usual fire clouds that raided the sky. Instead, the sky was such a dark shade of blue, it would appear to be black if not for the few stars strewn across it.

Mundus stood beside Bolverk, but decided not to rest his hands on the ledge of the balcony. Even he had respect for one's personal space. The two were very similar in size comparison.

"It is so rare that we are rewarded with a night such as this, Lord Mundus." Bolverk decided to break the silence.

Mundus nodded as he surveyed the dark night sky. "That is true, General. Though, I am not sure that I hold such a special place inside of me for it like you do."

Mundus looked over to his warrior. "I gave you orders, Bolverk."

Bolverk bowed his head slightly. "I know, my Lord." He let his hands slip off of the ledge as he slowly left the small balcony.

"And I knew it would not be long before you came to confront me about them."

Mundus could barely hear Bolverk's last words as left the balcony. "Do not worry, my Lord. I will defeat Sparda. I have before. I will do it again."

Mundus followed him inside with his hands placed behind his back. "May I know why you chose not to complete your task, then?"

Mundus wasn't so much angered as he was curious. Whenever Bolverk was given a mission, he would complete it just that way Mundus wanted, with no exceptions.

He was by far the perfect Demon.

Bolverk continued to walk. "I did not see it fair to eliminate Sparda when he had been chained for several hours. He was weak. It would not have been respectful."

Though Bolverk was very skilled I the arts of combat, he would always battle with the utmost honor and respect for his fellow enemy.

This is something that plagued Mundus.

"I would fully understand your reasons, Bolverk, if we were talking about some lower-class Demon such as a Nobody or a Marionette. Yet, I fail to realize why you spared the life of my sworn enemy…and your greatest rival."

Bolverk stopped. He turned his back to Mundus and walked over to where his sword was leaning. He began by taking off the armor on his arms, then removed the large armored breast-plate that he wore. Even with the main parts of his armor removed, Bolverk was still a giant, towering Demon.

Mundus clicked his teeth together a couple of times, then unclasped his hands from behind his back.

"While I have a great deal of respect for you, Bolverk, no one ever turns their back to Mundus."

Mundus walked closer to Bolverk. He was beginning to sound a little angrier. "Now, I asked you for your reasons. Answer me."

Bolverk looked over his shoulder, but did not turn around. "I gave you my reasons, Lord Mundus. Now if you will excuse me, I believe I need some rest if Sparda wishes for a rematch."

Mundus' eyes seemed to flare with pure fury. "Do you forget that there is another Demon General next in line to you that could easily take your place?" Mundus waited for a response.

Bolverk never had the pleasure of ever dueling or sparring with the Demon General Marcellus, but knew that he was almost similar to Bolverk in every way, including skill and size. He was also feared by just about every other Demon in the Underworld like Bolverk.

He was created by a Demon Sorcerer named Guildenstern, whom Bolverk knew little about. He gave this General the name 'Marcellus' because it reminded him of a great mortal man whom Guildenstern killed and used parts of to create him.

Bolverk responded to Mundus' question, but not with the answer he had hoped. "Leave my Temple, my Lord. Before we both engage in an argument that will surely end unfavorably." He knelt down on his knees before the shrine, closed his one eye, and began a praying ritual that he performed every time after a battle.

Basically, Bolverk was trying to tell Mundus to leave before he did something he would regret, something that Mundus was smart enough to pick up on. Even though he was the leader of Hell, he would not want to enrage Bolverk to the point of any physical confrontation.

Mundus knew when to choose his battles.

He nodded and turned to exit the Temple.

"I will go now and speak with Arkham." Before Mundus left, he turned back to Bolverk, who was still on his knees, caught up in the proceedings of his ritual.

"Perhaps I will also pay a visit to Marcellus." Bolverk opened his eye and shot a look at his Master.

"At least he is a General who can follow orders and complete a task that is given to him." With that, Mundus left the cold Temple.

Bolverk simply directed his attention back to his shrine. He paid little attention to Mundus' comment, attention that he soon figured would be better spent on his ritual. He closed his eye, bowed his head once again, and continued to perform his ritual with the company of the starry night sky.

* * *

Author's Note: I think it's safe to say that some of you will be a little disappointed that Nevan wasn't torn to shreds in this chapter. Trust me when I say it works better with the plot and will make the story more interesting now that she has turned to the good side. On another note, this story is past the half mark and almost coming to an end. Some of you will be happy to know that a sequel to this story is a thought somewhere in the back of my mind. I've already planned it some of it out. If I choose to write it, I will do so immediately after the end of this story. Also, both Guildenstern and Marcellus are taken from the 'Onimusha' Series. I didn't know the true origin of Marcellus' name so I created a story about how it came to be. Let me know your thoughts on if I should write the sequel or if I should just finish it as one story, and, like always, please R&R. 


	12. Chapter XI

**DEVIL MAY CRY **

**THE**

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER XI**

* * *

Author's Note: I would like to send a sincere thanks to all of you for your condolences. And yes, Bustahead, it does mean something coming from you. I was grateful that all of you sent me your condolences. Now, onto the story. I would like to clarify that although both Guildenstern and Marcellus will now become main characters in this story, The BattleGround should not, in any way, be considered a crossover story with Onimusha. No one has stated that it is, but I thought I might as well tell everyone just in case they think it might possibly become one. On that note, I don't understand why there isn't an Onimusha section in 'Games'. If there were, I would definitely write some Onimusha stories. Read and enjoy.

* * *

Sparda and Nevan moved as quickly as they possibly could down the long, dark hallway that branched off from the entrance to the Prison.

Even though Sparda wanted more than anything to find his most trust-worthy companion and his son, he didn't even know where to start searching. He also knew that if he wanted to stop Mundus before he entered the Human World, he would surely need their help.

As Sparda continued to walk, he glanced over at Nevan. She looked much more confident since she decided to join him in his quest, and since Mundus had released her from her duties, she could finally act on free will and speak her mind when she wanted to.

"Nevan, Dante and Kade are in Hell somewhere. I cannot find them on my own. I need your help." Sparda eagerly awaited her response.

Nevan looked at Sparda. "Whatever I can do to help, darling," Nevan replied, smiling slightly.

Sparda continued. "I sense that no harm has come to them yet, but definite harm will confront them soon. Is there any kind of portal or orb that we could look into to see where they are?"

Sparda bowed his head slightly. "I haven't had the luxury of roaming around Hell in ages. I had to remain hidden in the Sanctuary for so long…"

Nevan stopped in her tracks. Sparda stepped forward. "What is it?"

She narrowed her eyes and began to rub the fingers of a single hand together. She appeared to be in deep thought.

After a moment, Sparda did not get a response from her. He wished she would break from her thoughts soon, but knew not to rush someone when they were so deep in thought.

Finally, Nevan's eyes widened and she responded with an answer that Sparda had hoped for. "Yes! There is! We must go down the dark staircase that leads into the Lower Regions. There is at least one orb down there that we can look into. We must go soon, though."

Nevan looked at Sparda and told him what he already knew from experience. "You know as well as I do that Mundus always sends his minions to clean up the mess afterwards. They will be here soon."

Sparda nodded. The two walked the entire length of the dark hallway. At the end, Nevan looked both ways, trying desperately to remember which way to go. She quickly turned right and walked down the path there. Sparda followed.

* * *

Other than Bolverk, there was only one other General in the Underworld that had his own Temple. Skeletons of Demons and mortal men that were chained up lined the two side walls and the back wall. Although there was a giant throne near the back behind the large pillars, The Demon Warrior Marcellus decided to never sit in it. 

There was just enough light from the small torches and fire lamps in the dark Temple to reveal two other figures standing by Marcellus.

Marcellus was the type of Demon who seemed to be mute, although no one was exactly sure if he was.

He wore a dark gray steel mask that had an opened mouth that curved down at both ends. The sides and back of his head were covered with several platelets that were attached to one another. Two large, gray demon spikes shot out of the top of his helmet. His eyes shone blood red. His shoulders looked even broader due to his golden-lined gray shoulder harness that started on both sides near his neck and ended halfway down his massive biceps. His forearms and hands were covered with golden plated charcoal steel armor, as were his legs from the kneecaps down. His grayish-orange sash pants barely showed because of the larger golden plated charcoal platelets that covered the outside of his massive thighs. His skin was mainly colored a whitish-gray, but was accented with greenish-brown patches that formed unfamiliar designs. The most noticeable detail of this Hulk was the giant 'Man Killer' curved sword he held in one hand. In the other, he held a giant, circular shield that matched his armor; golden plated and charcoal.

To Mundus, he resembled a Samurai Warrior, only Demonized.

To his left stood the cunning and elusive Demon Sorcerer named Guildenstern. He himself wore a charcoal black cloak that was also lined with golden plating. His face was composed of beady little red eyes and two rows of sharp, narrow teeth. His head was like nothing Mundus had seen before. It resembled a large snail at the back, but curled over in the front. It was tinted beige and orange. In one hand, he held his long, narrow staff that had a giant purple crystal near the top.

To Marcellus' right stood the scholar Arkham. His eyes, normally orange and blue, were still blood red. Mundus still held power over him. He held the same small red book between his large, cold hands. The reflection firelight seemed to shine on his twisted, deformed skin on the left side of his face.

As Mundus approached the three, they each bowed in unison. Guildenstern and Arkham both bent over. Marcellus, however, did not. He only bowed his head. It was most likely the only part of his body he could bend due to the massive amount of armor he wore.

Mundus crossed his bulging arms as he stopped mere feet from his servants. First, he decided to address the group as a whole.

"As you may already know, The Legendary Dark Knight Sparda will most likely be entering Hell soon if he has not already. Where? I have yet to find out."

The corners of Mundus' mouth stretched into an evil grin. "Soon, he will be none of my concern. After I merge the Demon World and the Human World with the two amulets, will have more power any past, present, or future Demon could ever dream of."

Guildenstern stepped forward. "Sire, my spies have informed me that two others who wish to stop out plans are also in the Demon World."

Mundus frowned. "Who are they?" he questioned.

"There is one by the name of Dante Sparda."

Mundus gritted his teeth. Somehow, he knew that the Demons Arkham sent after Dante would fail in their mission. He had only himself to blame, however. Arkham was, after all, possessed by his Dark Magic. "I knew he would still be alive."

Mundus looked straight at Guildenstern. He knew there was another Demon that rescued Dante, but he didn't know who it was. "Who is the other?"

"He is a Demon warrior who carries a swift blade and wears a cloak."

Mundus already knew what Guildenstern was going to say next.

"His name is Kade, my Lord."

Mundus clenched his fists. He looked to the closest stone pillar and struck it. It cracked in the middle, sending small shards shooting onto the floor.

"So Kade has chosen to interfere with Mundus' plans as well!"

Mundus stopped for a moment. He looked to Marcellus.

"I have decided what your first mission will be, General Marcellus."

Marcellus' armor made a small clashing noise as he straightened his massive back at attention. Mundus was well aware that Marcellus with could not or would never ask what his mission was. Marcellus standing at attention was all he expected. He continued.

"You will track down a small group of renegade Demons who decided to rebel against me long ago along with Kade and Sparda. They have been on the run ever since Kade and Sparda disappeared. When last I checked, they were still within the outer Regions of Hell's Planes. There, you will find a Demon woman. She leads the pack…"

Mundus stopped briefly for a moment, remembering past memories of when Kade decided to betray him.

"She is also a very close companion of Kade's."

Guildenstern looked over to Mundus. He himself had quite a history with both Sparda and Kade when they served under Mundus' rule. Every creation that Guildenstern came up with; every Soldier to Low-class Demon that was made was tested on them both in order to obtain certain battle data and observations.

Kade and Sparda were never defeated.

But that would all change soon….

Mundus looked over to Guildenstern. "Guildenstern, you will accompany Marcellus on his mission. I was going to send one of my other top Generals, but it seems he is no longer interested in doing what I demand of him."

Both Marcellus and Guildenstern knew exactly whom their Master was speaking of. Somehow they always knew that Bolverk was far too noble of a warrior to complete every task that Mundus gave him.

Now that Mundus was done addressing his General and his Sorcerer, he looked over to Arkham, whose blood red eyes shone like fire in the darkness of the cold Temple.

"Since you failed your first mission since your resurrection, Arkham, you must now prove your worth by performing another."

Arkham slowly nodded in approval.

"Your mission regards the two amulets, within the Ancient Temple located in the Human World. They are guarded by an old form of magic that, to my knowledge, cannot be unlocked."

"If I had figured out how to unlock the magic spell, I never would have had to confront Dante in the Temple…"

Mundus took a moment.

"I have tried many times to break the spell with the aid of my sorcerers, but I cannot."

Mundus glanced down to Arkham's small book. "But with your book of spells…." Mundus looked back up to Arkham.

Mundus took a moment for the information to sink in to Arkham's possessed mind.

"You will accompany me to the Human World. You, Arlham, will break the spell using the knowledge within your book and I will retrieve the two amulets."

Arkham slowly nodded in approval once more. Mundus nodded in return.

"I trust you all will do your duty. Failure will not be tolerated." Mundus looked at his warriors. Arkham and Marcellus both nodded.

Guildenstern was the last to nod. He knew that it was an empty show of allegiance. Mundus, however, did not.

As Mundus turned his back to the group, Arkham slowly walked behind him. They soon reached the entrance to the Temple and left.

Marcellus looked at his creator. Guildenstern crossed his scaly arms.

"Go, Marcellus. Complete your mission like Mundus ordered."

Guildenstern's large, grotesque mouth formed into a grin. "I have different matters to attend to."

* * *

Sparda and Nevan stood in the dimly lit chamber within Hell's lower levels. Six small windows placed evenly on each wall let the hazy blue light in from the outside. 

In the center, the two could see a large, narrow spiked altar that rose from the stony ground. Two small spikes jutted out of the middle. Sitting atop the altar was a large, marble-like spherical stone that emitted its own form of light that mixed with the blue light within the room.

Nevan was the first to approach it. Sparda followed.

"That is the seeing stone, on top," Nevan said as she pointed a single finger at it. Sparda nodded.

"How does it work?" he asked, frowning slightly. Never in his long stay in Hell had he ever seen such a stone. Then again, he was exiled from almost every other part of Hell that he hadn't had the pleasure of seeing ever since he decided to betray Mundus.

Nevan looked up at the stone. Using her own height to her advantage, she lifted up her arms and gently took the stone from the top. She placed down on the two small spikes in the middle of the narrow altar.

Nevan slowly closed her eyes and placed her hands She began to utter strange words that were very unfamiliar to Sparda's vocabulary. The large stone began to shake as the two small spikes held it in place.

As Nevan finished saying the chant, the stone stopped. She smiled as she opened her eyes. Sparda was about to say something when he was silenced by Nevan's hand. She took the tips of her fingers away from his mouth and put them to her own, making a 'silence' motion. Sparda waited in anticipation. He was anxious to find his son and companion, and finally end Mundus' reign.

Nevan and Sparda were now able to see their own reflection in the large stone as the power that occupied it seemed to fade. Sparda was very confused.

Nevan looked over to him.

"It worked."

Nevan put one hand on her hip. "All you have to do now is walk up to it and ask what your Demon Heart desires, darling."

Sparda nodded to Nevan and slowly walked up to the altar.

"I wish to see the images of two Demons. One is my son and the other is my closest companion. Where are they?" He waited.

Nothing.

He looked back at Nevan and frowned. Nevan sighed and threw up her hands. "How many Demons do you think occupy Hell, Sparda? You have to be more specific than that."

Sparda quickly turned back to the stone. "Their names are Dante and Kade. Where are they?"

Slowly, the stone produced a watery image of Dante wandering down a small set of stairs on a narrow staircase. Next, it produced an image of Kade walking slowly toward a large brick wall near the back of a small room.

Sparda blinked once or twice. "I think I know where they are."

Nevan looked at the image of Kade in the stone, then looked up at Sparda. "Where are they, Sparda?"

Sparda waited for the next image that the stone would produce. It would surely prove his instincts to be right.

They were indeed.

The stone produced the image of a Gatekeeper statue in a room surrounded by candles. Oddly enough, the statue never moved anything except for its eyes, but now, a sickening grin stretched across its face.

"They are in the Gatekeeper's Tomb. It is located beyond the Portal near the Sanctuary."

Sparda looked back at Nevan. "They are in severe danger." Sparda turned around and began to walk toward the entrance.

"Stop!" Nevan shouted as she gently picked up the stone and placed it back up to its original place. "They will know we were here if I do not put it back."

She joined Sparda at the entrance. Sparda looked back to the stone one last time. It still displayed the image of the grinning Gatekeeper.

"I know how to get to the Gatekeeper's Tomb. I won't take very long," Sparda reassured Nevan. They both quickly exited the small Chamber.

* * *

As Dante slowly crept down the small steps that made up the narrow staircase, he heard a low, growling noise. He stopped. 

He quickly unclasped his sword from his back and whipped out Ebony with his other hand. As he did, he saw a large stream of nasty breath come from the bottom of the staircase.

Whatever it was, he was ready to take it down.

* * *

Author's Note: I just finished playing God of War and it was absolutely amazing! It reminds me very much of Devil May Cry and Onimusha. If you are into Greek Mythology, or kick-ass action/adventure games, I would definitely recommend picking this game up. Like always, please R&R.

* * *


	13. Chapter XII

**

* * *

**

DEVIL MAY CRY

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER XII**

* * *

Author's Note: I was going to take a little more time with this Chapter, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting. Thank you so much for the awesome reviews and please keep 'em coming!

* * *

Dante prepared himself for whatever was to come. He was almost at the bottom of the staircase when he saw the massive amount of breath again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Like a bolt of lightning, Dante somersaulted off of the end of the narrow staircase and in to the large, square room that followed. He aimed his gun in front of him as he held his sword behind his back.

The room was made up of large, dark gray stone bricks that were unevenly crunched together and held in place by thick patches of mud and a grassy substance. There were small puddles of water spread all over the floor.

He would soon figure out why.

Dante stood up from his crouched position. He could see absolutely nothing in the large room.

He looked to all corners of the room, then frowned in curiosity. "Where were the breaths coming from?" he thought to himself.

Then, it happened. Dante blinked heavily and slowly wiped away a small spot of water off of his face. It came from the roof. Slowly, he looked up.

It was not water, it was saliva. There, hanging off of the roof with its twisted claws was the beast that had made the breaths from the staircase. It had two large rows of uneven, beige teeth and a long, pink tongue that nearly touched the top of Dante's head. In the center of its face was one large, red cat-like eye. Its body was almost like a centipede's. Small, thin rows of legs jutted out from each separate section of its body.

The creature was not very small, but it seemed to move very fast along the roof. Dante followed each of its movements precisely because he knew that sooner or later, it would either attack or drop down.

Dante quickly rolled out of the way as the centipede creature dropped from the roof, almost on top of him. Dante tried to swipe with his sword, but it was too late. The creature latched around Alastor with its long, pink tongue and pulled it from Dante's grip.

"Well, this is going to be fun."

* * *

Kade was having some doubts of his own as he slowly approached the stony brick wall at the end of the room. As he reached it, each separate brick rotated twice and revealed a set of three giant glowing puzzle pieces. Each had a small handle at the bottom. The bottom row of bricks also made up something.

In a language only known to a certain set of Demons, a row of words were written along the bricks below the three puzzle pieces.

They read: "_Arrange the puzzle pieces of Fallen Lords in order. You have three chances._"

To the right of the room, a brick from the floor also rotated twice and revealed a large statue of a Demon Guard holding a large spear, which was pointed straight at Kade.

Kade read each puzzle piece. In the strange Demon language, the one to the left read "Lucifer." The one in the middle also read "Lucifer." The one to the right read "Mundus."

Kade took a moment to think. He knew that Lucifer had ruled over the Underworld long before Mundus. He made up his mind.

Using the small handles, he pulled out the first two giant bricks that each read "Lucifer" and pushed them back in. Next, he pulled out the right brick that read "Mundus" and pushed it back in place.

Nothing happened. Kade waited a moment, then quickly jumped as the spear from the statue in the corner shot out and almost stabbed Kade.

"Strike one," he thought to himself.

Kade looked back up at the wall and sighed. He tried pulling the Mundus brick out first, then the two Lucifer bricks.

Strike two.

The statue's spear shot out once more and came dangerously close to Kade's midsection. He tried to turn around and leave the room, but was prevented by a newly formed thin wall of red magic.

He sighed once more. If he were correct on his next choice, the puzzle would not make any sense. Slowly and curiously, Kade pulled out the first Lucifer brick, then the Mundus brick, and then the second Lucifer brick. Each brick now shone a bright yellow.

The Demon Statue's spear shot back into place and the thin red wall of magic dissolved.

The words at the bottom of the bricks changed. Kade read them.

"You have passed the trial. Return to the Entrance Chamber."

Kade smiled and turned to leave. He quickly turned back around when he heard the bricks move once again.

"Perhaps this puzzle is a sign of things to come…"

Kade was confused. Mundus still ruled over this Realm, not Lucifer.

The three giant puzzle pieces turned back into the small, individual bricks that they began as and the Demon Warrior was replaced by a brick.

Kade frowned. He wanted to pay close attention to the last words written on the bricks, but as far as he was concerned, there was much more to worry about at the moment.

He slowly walked to the doorway of the puzzle room.

* * *

Sparda and Nevan slowly approached the portal at the end of the stairs that connected to the bridge that branched off from the Sanctuary.

Before they stepped through, Sparda looked over to Nevan.

"Nevan, I want you to stay here. The Gatekeeper beyond this portal will surely try to kill me once I walk through. I cannot protect you and defend myself at the same time." Sparda did not wait for her response. He just walked through the portal.

As he did he heard a faint voice. "Be careful, Sparda."

* * *

The Gatekeeper's eyes quickly fixated onto Sparda as he appeared before him. Sparda took a moment to glance around, then stared into the gatekeeper's eyes.

"Where are they?" he demanded.

The Gatekeeper's stone mouth was still grinning. "Greetings, Legendary Dark Knight. It has been some time since we last met, has it not?"

Sparda shook his head. "That isn't what I asked you."

He took one step forward. "Where are they." The red orb in the Gatekeeper's left hand lit up.

"Apparently, one has already completed his mission."

Sparda took another step forward. "You knew damn well they wouldn't be sent to the Human World if they completed the missions."

"Yes, Sparda. But they did not. Soon, the other will complete the trial of strength…then it will be over."

Sparda gritted his teeth. "You set a trap. You knew Kade thought this place would act as a portal. But instead, it is a graveyard."

The Gatekeeper replied. "Do you remember what happened, Sparda, when you completed both trials? The same fate is in store for them. And there is nothing you can do to prevent it."

* * *

Dante struggled under the weight of his enemy. The centipede creature had wrapped itself around most of his body, and Alastor was just out of reach.

The creature hissed loudly and snapped forward, trying to detach Dante's head from his body. Dante quickly moved his head to the side as the creature's teeth crunched down on a brick of the floor.

Dante kicked wildly and managed to free himself from the centipede's grip. He backed up using his elbows and his feet.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sparda was trying desperately to figure out which of his companions would choose the strength trial over the knowledge trial.

Sparda heard a faint echo come from the right entranceway.

"Piece of Shit!"

He smiled as he recognized his son's voice. "Dante, stab it through its eye."

* * *

Dante heard the voice, but didn't know whom it belonged to. He somersaulted past the centipede and quickly grabbed Alastor from the ground.

He waited until the creature lunged at him again. Following instructions, Dante gripped his sword with both hands and drove it into the eye of the centipede.

It squealed harshly as a large amount of blood ran over the stony ground. Dante wiped the sweat from his forehead and pulled the sword from the centipede's eye. It fell dead to the ground. He went to leave the room. He was curious as to who had given him the advice.

Before Dante left the room, he turned around and kicked the dead centipede.

"Fucking Bug."

* * *

The red orb in the Gatekeeper's right hand now lit up. He glanced at it as the room began to shake.

"Your time has run out, Sparda. You cannot save them."

Large flames began to rush over the base of the statue as the Gatekeeper's eyes turned to flame. Soon, the entire room would be engulfed in flames, along with the two entranceways.

Frustrated, Sparda ran up to the Gatekeeper.

He screamed as he brought his large sword down in the middle of the spike on its head. He didn't stop there.

Sparda drove his sword all the way through the Gatekeeper. The two large slabs of stone fell to the sides, nearly blocking both entranceways. They were still on fire.

Soon, Dante and Kade emerged from the two entranceways.

At first, Dante couldn't believe his eyes. Had his Father truly come to save him like he had promised?

Dante stepped over the large chunk of what was left of the Gatekeeper. He slowly walked up to Sparda.

The fire from the statue pieces reflected off of Sparda, illuminating his charcoal body and icy blue eyes.

Dante stopped in front of Sparda.

"Father…"

Dante and Sparda embraced each other in a show of love that they had both longed for. It had felt like a lifetime since Dante had been able to touch his Father. The last time he had laid eyes on Sparda besides the Temple was when he and Kade had left the Human World to battle Mundus' forces.

"Dante…"

Kade smiled as he stepped over the large chunk of the statue blocking his entranceway. He was glad to finally see the two reunited.

Sparda let go of Dante and shook Kade's hand. "Greetings, my old friend."

Kade smiled. "It has been days since we parted."

Sparda nodded. "I see you two have made it out all right on your own."

He looked Kade straight in the eyes. "Thank you for protecting him, Kade." Kade nodded.

Now that his emotions were in place, Dante decided to inform his Father of what had happened.

"Father, a scholar has risen from the dead. His name is Arkham. He has been possessed by Mundus' magic."

Sparda nodded. "I have learned Mundus' plans through Nevan. Do you remember the necklaces that your Mother gave to you and Vergil when you were children?"

Dante nodded.

"They were located within that Temple in the Sea. He wishes to take them and merge the Demon World with the Human World. We must stop him."

Dante and Kade both nodded. "How will we ever find a way out of here, Sparda?" Kade asked. He held up his hands and motioned them around the Gatekeeper's Tomb. "I thought for sure that this was the only way out of this Realm."

Sparda looked around. "Do not worry, Kade. Nevan will know how to get us out of this place. She has decided to join us in our journey."

The three companions slowly walked to exit the Tomb.

Dante stopped. "One thing is for certain."

"Mundus will pay."

* * *

He had used the portal once before, so he was sure it was safe to do it again. Mundus and Arkham both crossed the set of stairs that would lead them to the giant portal into the Human World. As they reached the top, Mundus looked down. They were very high up in the sky. The only things that held the bridge in place were large, well-placed pillars.

He took a moment to take in the sky. "Hell has blessed us with this sky tonight." Nothing can stop us now."

Mundus looked at Arkham.

"Let us end the Human World."

* * *

He had almost completed his ritual. As the starry night sky continued to watch over him, Bolverk finished his meditation. He rose off of his knees and walked over to his statue of armor.

Slowly, he began to equip the armor to his massive body. After he pulled down his chest plate, Bolverk walked over to the entranceway and stopped. He kneeled down to one knee and slowly stroked the fur of his companions with his giant hand.

"Both of you have been loyal to me for as long as I can remember."

Bolverk closed his eyes. "I wish Mundus could see the same loyalty that lies in me…"

Bolverk stood up. "Stay here until I return," he told his two wolves.

As he approached the entranceway to his Temple, Bolverk sighed and gripped his massive, tribal sword.

He would prove his loyalty to his Master…even if it meant killing Sparda in the process.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, another Chapter finished. Maybe the puzzle that Kade solved could possibly be some sort of foreshadowing…? Please R&R.

* * *


	14. Chapter XIII

**DEVIL MAY CRY**

**THE **

**BATTLEGROUND **

**CHAPTER XIII**

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry I didn't make this Chapter sooner. I know it's been a couple of months since I updated The BattleGround. Anyway, Happy Holidays to everyone and like always, please R&R.

* * *

The first thing Dante noticed on the other side of the Portal once he walked through was a tall, red-haired woman with grayish-purple skin and a thin black bat garb standing off to the side of the bridge.

He, Kade and Sparda reached the bottom of the stairs. Before Dante could greet her, Nevan spoke.

"Dante Sparda. Nice to see you in one piece," she said as Dante took her hand and shook it. He half grinned, picking up on Nevan's odd tone. He said only one word as he nodded.

"Nevan."

Kade squinted slightly in Nevan's direction. He hadn't seen her for ages, and their last encounter couldn't exactly be described as pleasant.

No words were said between the two. Kade simply nodded to Nevan and she returned it.

Sparda stepped forward. "Nevan, we need your help. We need to know how…" Sparda was cut off.

Kade quickly dropped to the ground and clutched the sides of his head with his hands.

Dante knelt down beside him. "What is it Kade?"

Kade let out a low grunt and closed his eyes. Sparda was just as concerned as Dante, but chose not to show it. He squinted and looked down at his companion.

"Kade, are you all right?" Sparda asked.

Kade attempted to talk, but all that came out was another low grunt. All of a sudden, Kade was not standing on the bridge with Dante, Sparda and Nevan. His vision had changed. He was now overlooking a dense, shadowy region somewhere in the outer planes of Hell.

Within these shadowy regions was a forest similar to that of Nevan's, only this one was smaller. Near the center of the forest, there was a small, circular area where a roaring fire burned. Two warriors garbed in long, black robes with tribal markings on their exposed arms carried heavy amounts of firewood over to the fire and began to gently set them on. As they finished, they greeted the other twenty or so robed figures sitting on logs and seats huddled around the fire.

All of a sudden, like a wave of water, a band of spiked Demons flooded the camp and began to slay everyone in sight.

Different horrific images continued to flood Kade's mind. He blinked furiously to try to get rid of them. The last image escaped Kade's mind as Sparda put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Kade shook his head and returned to his standing position.

"What was that, Kade?" asked Dante as Kade continued to catch his breath.

Kade exhaled, then spoke. "It was a vision."

Sparda crossed his arms once again. "What kind of vision?"

Kade frowned. "An unpleasant one. One that revealed to me the outer regions of the Underworld. The vision showed me glimpses of one of the tribes that aided us long ago, Sparda."

Kade looked at Sparda. "They were being attacked, Sparda, by what looked like Guildenstern's Demons."

Kade had always held the power of foresight, but never had his visions hurt his mind like this. Grunting, Kade slowly stood to his feet and looked at Sparda.

"Are you going to be all right, my friend?" asked Sparda as he uncrossed his charcoal arms.

Kade nodded his head and exhaled. "That vision wouldn't have entered my mind unless someone was trying to tell me something. I think someone may need my help."

Sparda nodded, but argued with Kade. "It is true that the visions you see are not deceiving, Kade. It is true that more will enter your mind and show you more pieces of the puzzle. However, it is also true that there are greater tasks to settle at the moment."

Sparda began to walk along the bridge. "Like stopping Lord Mundus."

Kade nodded and followed. "You are right, old friend."

After a brief moment, Dante and Nevan followed.

* * *

The four companions carefully crossed the narrow bridge that would lead them to the portal into the Human World. Nevan was the first across since she knew the exact location of the portal itself.

As they finished crossing the narrow gray bridge, Kade looked down at the pillars holding the bridge in place.

"One must wonder how many ages ago those pillars were constructed."

Sparda glanced back at Kade as he continued to walk.

Kade then glanced up to the black, starry sky.

"It is rare that such a sky would be looking down on us this night."

Sparda nodded to himself. "Sometimes, Hell gives us signs, Kade. Signs that show us there is still hope in dark places."

Sparda stopped walking.

"Personally, I would rather treasure such a sky than question its presence before we leave to go battle the evil that plagues the Earth Realm."

By this time, Nevan had reached the other side of the bridge where the portal was located. Dante looked up at the sky as well.

Sparda continued to walk forward.

Soon he, Kade, and Dante all reached the end of the bridge where Nevan was waiting.

The giant portal was a mystical mix of fire and white light that swirled outward. Two small black marble poles stood evenly on either side of it.

Sparda turned to Nevan who had her head bowed down slightly. Sparda lifted her head with the touch of his finger.

She shed a single tear as she looked up at her somewhat of a mentor. "You must believe me when I tell you that whatever happened in the past was a grave mistake on my part, Sparda."

Sparda smiled a little as he sighed. "All is forgiven, Nevan."

"Demons can also see light in dark places, just as you did."

Sparda looked away from Nevan and gazed into the portal.

"Cherish the things you hold dear to you now, Nevan. Cherish this sky above your head."

Sparda looked back to Nevan. "Cherish your life in this place and be proud of the decisions you make because in the end, if you truly look hard enough, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Some just do not see it as clearly."

Nevan smiled. "It is never like you to leave without giving a speech, Sparda."

Sparda smiled. After a moment, he sighed and nodded to Nevan. She returned the nod.

Sparda slowly walked toward the center of the portal as it began to consume his figure. After a moment, he was gone.

Kade followed. He nodded to Nevan and spoke. "Know that Sparda and I are very proud of you my lady."

Nevan returned the nod as Kade slowly followed Sparda through the portal.

Dante was the last to enter. As he approached the portal, he glanced at Nevan from her feet up.

"All these years and you still look gorgeous," he said with a snicker.

Nevan frowned and laughed. She tilted her head toward the portal. "Go, before I throw you through."

Dante laughed also, then held out his arms. Nevan embraced him and sighed.

"Take care of yourself, Nevan. It could be a while until we see you again."

Nevan nodded. "I know."

Dante nodded, then ran at the portal and jumped in.

After the loud crackling noise finished, the portal decreased in size a little as Nevan stood by herself. She placed one of her hands on the small black marble poles by the portal.

She looked up to the black starry sky.

"I will cherish this sky, Sparda."

"Good luck, my friends."

* * *

The BattleGround where Mundus and Arkham stood was very dark and desolate. Mundus took a moment to take in his surroundings once again, they proceeded.

He walked past one of the walls where he and Sparda had battled. He shook his head and continued. Arkham followed.

Mundus quickly jumped down to a lower level of the Temple. The unsteady ground shook a little as he did.

Arkham jumped down as well. Mundus walked until he reached a small, stone entrance. Mundus and Arkham both entered.

Inside, there was a large altar where the sacred amulets that Mundus longed to get his hands on hovered. There was a thick, black haze of mist that blanketed the altar and the amulets like a wall.

Mundus reached out and swept the black magic with his fingertips. It zapped him slightly as he pulled his massive hand away.

"This, Arkham, is the magic that prevents me from reaching my destiny. Use the knowledge within your book. Break the spell."

Arkham nodded and slowly raised his hand. He closed his demonic eyes as he touched the wall of black magic. He propped open the book with his other massive hand and began to whisper ancient chants.

Mundus nodded in approval. His attention was quickly rerouted when he heard a thundering cackle coming from above. He turned his massive body and exited the stone entrance to the altar.

He did not return to the higher levels of the Temple. Instead, Mundus just gazed at the giant red and white portal that burned like fire. It took up quite a bit of space in the air and its fiery color reflected off of the Battleground's rocky surfaces.

Mundus looked up to his right as he heard footsteps near his head.

Bolverk slowly walked along the small stone bridge above Mundus' head.

Mundus was a little taken back. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke to his General.

"I see my Warrior has returned to his Master's side," he said as he crossed his massive stone arms.

Bolverk looked down to his Master and nodded. He slowly pulled his sword forward and pointed it at the ground. He dug it in a little and leaned on it.

"I will always remain loyal to you, my Lord," Bolverk said. He looked at Mundus.

"Always."

Mundus nodded in approval, then glanced back at the portal. It began to burn faster and hiss, as if someone else was traveling through it.

"Why does it remain?" he questioned.

Bolverk closed his eye and sighed. Would he truly slay the Legendary Sparda and his son just to prove his loyalty and gain the respect of his Master?

Bolverk opened his eye and looked at the Portal.

"We have…uninvited guests, my Lord."

Mundus uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists. He knew exactly whom Bolverk spoke of.

Mundus took a few more steps forward and stroked his long beard as the giant Portal before him grew larger and hissed louder.

"It ends tonight."

* * *

Author's Note: Again, sorry it took so long. I am working on the Final Chapter, which should be done either later today or early tomorrow. Thanks for all the support and thanks for waiting for me to update. Please R&R.

* * *


	15. Chapter XIV

**

* * *

**

DEVIL MAY CRY

**THE**

**BATTLEGROUND**

**CHAPTER XIV**

* * *

_Faint white rays of light pierced through the velvet red drapes covering the tall windows in the giant Throneroom. Enormous marble pillars held up a stone gray roof that looked down upon a white marble floor._

_A thin strip of velvet red carpet was evenly placed over seven large steps, which led to an enormous Throne._

_On the Throne sat the Dark Angel of Hell himself. His long, gray robe was draped over his massive frame, exposing his well-built chiseled chest. He placed one of his massive stone arms underneath his elbow and the other underneath his chin as he stroked his thick, curly stone beard. _

_Mundus waited patiently for the arrival of his honored guests._

_At the end of the Throneroom, two giant Demon Guards holding long, sharp staffs slowly opened the doors as two cloaked warriors entered._

_As the two warriors approached the steps that led up to the massive Throne, they glanced at each other._

_Then, one after the other, they removed their black hoods that covered their heads._

_The demon warrior on the right had glowing green eyes that burned furiously. His charcoal gray skin was wrapped in a set of thin, fleshy green veins. The white light that shone in through the windows at the sides of the room bounced off of his bald head, creating just enough light to accentuate his dark facial features._

_The warrior on the left's eyes burned an icy blue color. He was almost entirely jet black except for some of his exposed armor, which was outlined in deep purple and red. His charcoal gray face seemed even darker than it should have been because of his spiky silver hair. Two average-sized horns protruded from each side of his forehead above each eye._

_Both warriors took a slow bow, then gazed up to the Lord of the Underworld._

_Mundus tilted his head back in approval, then spoke to the two black demons._

_First, he looked to the demon on the right._

"_General Kade, I see you have returned from your task unharmed as expected. Congratulations."_

_General Kade nodded. "Yes, my Lord." Kade was Mundus' highest ranking General. Never had Hell seen such a wise and skilled warrior. _

_Mundus then looked to the warrior on the left. _

"_The Dark Knight Sparda. I see you too have returned from your mission unharmed as expected. Congratulations."_

_Sparda nodded to Mundus. "Yes, my Lord." If Kade ever had an equal rival, it was Sparda. He was the quickest, strongest, and most cunning warrior to ever occupy Hell. He had not been serving Lord Mundus as long as Kade, but their skill levels were surely even._

_Kade and Sparda had only been working and training together for a short time, but both had an unspoken honor for each other. They knew that they were the two best warriors in the Demon World._

_And so did Lord Mundus._

"_You have been summoned to my Throneroom to receive my personal gratitude for your services," Mundus began as he focused on Sparda._

"_And the crowning of a new General." _

_Sparda frowned slightly. He knew he would soon join the ranks of Kade and all the other Generals of Mundus's army, but he did not expect it to be this soon._

_It had in fact, only been a matter of hours since he and Kade returned from their latest mission in the Human World._

"_Sparda," Mundus said. Sparda took a single step forward. "Yes, my Lord?"_

"_You may now consider yourself a General among Hell. You have not yet reached the ranks of General Kade, but I have a strong feeling you soon will."_

_Kade looked over at Sparda. _

"_Congratulations, my friend."_

_Sparda nodded at Kade, then looked back at his Lord._

"_Thank you, Lord Mundus. As your newest General, I shall not disappoint you."_

_A sick grin slowly crept up on the lips of Mundus as he nodded to both of his Generals._

"_That is all."_

_With that, both Kade and Sparda bowed slowly once again and turned away from the giant Throne where Mundus sat. _

_As they walked away from the Throne, Sparda could think of only two things: one was the angel he met in the Human World. _

_The angel named Eva._

_The other was the guilt he felt for not slaying Lord Mundus where he sat. Neither Lord Mundus nor Kade knew it at the moment, but the mysterious blonde-haired woman named Eva that would compel Sparda to rise against Hell; to rise against Mundus._

_Sparda knew that Kade respected him, but he also knew that Kade would stay loyal to his Lord at any cost._

_Even if it meant murdering Sparda._

As they approached the Throneroom doors, Sparda looked over at Kade…

* * *

And saw the same noble warrior he had respected and befriended all those yeas ago in the Underworld. Sparda's vision of being in Mundus' Throneroom quickly faded back to the portal.

Sparda thought back to when he and Kade battled in that very Throneroom after Kade was ordered to do so.

He remembered how momentarily angered Kade was when he found out that Sparda wished to overthrow Mundus and rebel against the Demons of the Underworld.

He remembered how much they both hated fighting each other, and how Kade would not stop at any cost since Mundus watched on. If Kade did in fact fail, it would mean torture and then death.

After he defeated Kade and took him to the Sanctuary underneath the water, Sparda also remembered how Mundus secretly sought the assistance of Bolverk in hunting them both down.

The fiery portal swirled around Kade and shone an orange glow on his charcoal skin as he looked over to Sparda. Kade nodded and closed his eyes. He obviously had some vague idea of what Sparda was reminiscing about.

He spoke up through the hissing and fiery crackles of the portal.

"Have confidence, Sparda. We will defeat him."

Sparda nodded and looked back to his son. Dante was looking straight forward and smiling. He shifted his momentum and pushed his body forward as he flipped in the air. He cheered loudly.

"Don't know about you guys but I'm ready to kick some ass!"

Sparda smiled to himself and looked back at his friend. "Don't worry, Kade. I have a feeling we will do just fine tonight."

Kade looked forward and took a deep breath as he could see the faint image of a large Temple coming into focus.

"This is it."

Sparda allowed Kade and Dante to exit the portal first.

* * *

In an instant, Kade and Dante appeared on the other side of the portal. Their feet made a soft crunch as they landed on the Gothic Temple's rocky floor.

Sparda was the last to exit the fiery portal. As he did, closed his eyes and thought of all the evil Lord Mundus had inflicted upon his closest companions and his family.

The evil Lord Mundus had inflicted upon him.

He opened his eyes and saw the Dark Angel of Hell himself standing in front of Dante and Kade.

Sparda also looked up to Mundus' right and saw the great Demon General Bolverk standing with his sword pointed at the ground like always.

He also faintly saw a bald man in a brown, leather suit down a long hallway in a small room holding a book and touching some sort of dark magic. He was on a lower level of the Temple.

"That must be Arkham," he thought to himself.

After a moment of silence, Kade was the first to speak.

"Greetings, Lord Mundus," he said as he nodded his head to his former Lord.

Mundus' eyes quickly shone a great red as he frowned viciously.

"How dare you show your pathetic false allegiance to me, worm!" Mundus spat at Kade.

Kade took a step forward. "That was no show of allegiance, my Lord." He began as he quickly unequipped his sword from his back and brought it down hard to the ground.

"That was the last time I shall ever greet you with those words because after tonight, you will no longer be Lord Mundus of the Underworld."

Kade slashed his sword against the ground, creating small sparks of yellow light.

"After tonight, you will no longer exist."

Mundus simply laughed at his former General.

"You three actually think you can defeat me," Mundus held his hand up to Bolverk.

"You think you can take down my greatest General," Mundus then pointed down to Arkham on the lower level. "Or one of my greatest sorcerers!"

Dante stepped forward and crossed his arms. "Yeah, that sounds about right, you fucking stone Jesus on steroids!"

Mundus frowned. "You, young boy, will be the first to die here in this BattleBround!"

Mundus lunged forward as he brought his sword down on Dante.

In an instant, his attack was quickly blocked. Sparda used both of his massive hands to clutch his sword and push the Dark Angel back. Mundus stumbled back as he hit one of the walls of the Temple.

Bolverk shook slightly as Mundus hit. He regained his composure, then removed his giant, tribal sword from the bridge and exhaled.

Mundus growled and slowly walked back to where Sparda stood.

"You and I have unfinished business, Mundus. You will not fight my son."

Sparda swung his sword in the air, brought it back to his chest and pointed the tip at Mundus.

"You will fight me."

Mundus grinned in delight. "I have waited ages to get the chance to…"

His words were cut short.

Sparda put a charcoal finger to his lips and closed his eyes.

"Do not speak." He opened his icy blue eyes and looked at Mundus.

"Just die."

Mundus roared and lunged at Sparda with his sword drawn. Sparda quickly side stepped and kicked Mundus in the spine. Mundus went tumbling over into a nearby pile of rubbish.

Meanwhile, Dante and Kade continued to stare at Bolverk on the bridge.

All of a sudden, and quick, steady stream of rain flooded the temple. Bolverk held his hand up and swished the rain around with his massive, bony fingers. He looked at Dante and Kade.

"I have already had the pleasure of battling you, young Dante." Bolverk looked at Kade.

"But I have never had the honor of battling the General whom I replaced all those years ago."

Kade nodded. "It truly would be an honor Bolverk. Shall we?" Kade asked as he walked over to the narrow bridge.

Bolverk nodded as he swung his sword around and clashed it against a side of the bridge.

"We shall."

Wasting no time, Kade quickly front flipped onto the bridge and slashed down on the mighty Bolverk. Bolverk blocked it, but staggered a little as he pushed away from Kade's blade.

* * *

Dante looked around him.

"Okay, I guess I know who I'm taking."

Dante began to descend the steps that would lead him to Arkham. Quickly changing his mind, he ran back up the stairs and ran over to Mundus. He punched him in the back of the head and quickly turned around and ran.

Angered by the cheap shot, Mundus turned around and glared.

Dante just laughed and kept on running with his back turned. What he didn't realize was that he created the perfect opportunity for his father to attack.

Sparda quickly took advantage and gripped Mundus' neck with one arm and his shoulder with the other.

With great strength, Sparda shoulder threw Mundus over his head. Mundus created a large crack in the Temple floor as he landed.

Mundus got to his feet and balled his fists. Slowly, large red balls of mist began to materialize around each fist as his eyes grew redder.

"What you do not realize, Sparda, is that I have grown much stronger since our last encounter in Hell. I have all the power I need to finally finish you."

Mundus quickly shot three giant spiked red orbs at Sparda's mid section. He managed to block the first two, but the third connected. Sparda clutched his side in pain and quickly smashed away at the orb lodged in him. It broke off and the shards quickly fell to the ground.

Before Sparda could advance, four more red spiked orbs penetrated his charcoal skin. He fell to the soaking wet temple floor and groaned in pain.

Mundus walked over to where he lay and put his hands on his hips.

"I will take over this world, Sparda. I will merge it with my world." He pointed a large finger down at Sparda.

"And there is nothing you can do to stop me!"

* * *

Dante quickly finished running down the remainder of the steps that led him to Arkham. As he entered the entranceway, Dante clapped his hands together.

"Okay, Arkham. Let's go. Come on. Let's get this over with."

Dante leaned in a little and raised his eyebrows.

"Did you hear me buddy?"

The black wall of magic that surrounded the altar and the two amulets slowly vanished. Arkham slowly clutched the amulets and turned to Dante.

Dante frowned as he looked at the red amulets that belonged to him and his brother.

"So that's why Mundus was here in the first place. He needed our amulets."

Dante crossed his arms. "So you think I'll just step aside and let you take those to Mundus up there?"

Arkham slowly started to walk toward Dante.

Dante shook his head. "I don't think so pal."

Dante quickly grabbed Arkham's hand and punched him in the face. Arkham's head snapped back quickly. He glanced at Dante and held out his hand.

Like bolts of lightning, small bursts of magic came shooting out of Arkham's hand. They all hit Dante individually all over his body.

He fell to his knees and clutched his chest. Arkham quickly held out his foot and kicked Dante's head into the temple wall. A small trickle of blood slowly ran down Dante's cheek as a large wound opened up around his left eye.

Arkham tightened his grip on the chains of the amulets as he gazed down at them. He looked back to Dante, then slowly exited the lower level of the temple.

Dante slowly staggered to his feet and followed him.

* * *

Both Bolverk and Kade sighed heavily as they once again clashed their swords together.

In many ways, they were evenly matched.

Kade slowly pushed away from Bolverk and kicked him in the stomach. Bolverk heaved over a little, then stood at his full height.

He acted as if he was going to strike with his sword, then punched Kade in the face with his other hand. Kade's head snapped back as Bolverk quickly followed up with a sharp kick to his chest. Kade staggered back and hit a side of the bridge.

Bolverk cracked his thin neck and walked toward Kade. Kade yelled and quickly kneed Bolverk in the stomach, then uppercutted him in the jaw. Now it was Bolverk's turn to stagger back.

Bolverk grinned and nodded at Kade. "Good," he said.

"But not nearly good enough."

* * *

Arkham slowly climbed the steps that led up to his Lord.

As he did, Mundus caught sight of him. He stopped his assault on the helpless Sparda and held up his hand to the air.

"Yes Arkham! We have succeeded!"

Mundus raised his hands in victory. Sparda shook his head as he quickly rose from the rocky ground and clutched his massive sword from the cold floor.

He kicked Mundus in the mid section and slashed him in his stone chest with his massive sword.

Mundus clutched his chest and grunted. He looked over to Arkham.

"Quickly Arkham! Create a portal! Take us away from this BattleGround!"

Slowly, Arkham walked up to the bridge where Bolverk and Kade were battling on and front flipped up onto it. He walked the length of it to its end and opened his small book of spells.

Holding the two amulets in the air, he created two gigantic portals similar to the one which they used to enter the temple. As the portals swirled, Mundus fended off Sparda long enough to move closer to the bridge. As he did, Dante reached the higher level of the temple.

Mundus slashed Sparda across his charcoal chest with his sword and kicked him back away from the bridge.

"I told you you would not succeed, Legendary Dark Knight."

He quickly joined Arkham on the end of the bridge and looked back to Bolverk and Kade.

"Come, Bolverk! Join us!"

Bolverk looked to Mundus, then glanced back at Kade. "It truly has been a pleasure, Kade." He walked over to Mundus and Arkham.

"But I must go."

Before he exited the area, Bolverk looked down to Sparda and nodded.

For some unknown reason, Sparda felt he had no choice but to show idle respect and return the nod. As Bolverk continued to gaze at Sparda, Sparda could hear his faint whisper in his mind.

"_I truly apologize, Sparda. But I stay loyal to my Lords_. _I have too much respect for them to betray the trust they hold in me. So follow us if you will, but know that what you find on the other end might not be what you are truly looking for._ _It could be pleasant, it could be morbid. Either way, it can only be you who ends this battle."_

Sparda nodded.

"_I will, Bolverk."_

Bolverk was the first to step trough the first massive portal. As Mundus began to enter Bolverk's portal and Arkham began to enter his, Mundus looked down at Arkham's hand.

"Give those to me, Arkham. Give them to me now."

Slowly, Arkham began to hand over the two amulets.

Sparda began to sprint over to the bridge. He quickly jumped up and ran the length of it.

As Sparda brushed past Kade, Kade held out his hand in objection. "No Sparda! Don't!"

Just as Arkham began to hand Mundus the amulets, Dante grabbed his sword and with precision, threw it at the portal.

As the sword traveled through the air, time itself seemed to slow down.

"Please God…" Dante begged.

As the sword neared the portal, Mundus' eyes widened.

"No!"

Before Arkham could hand over the other Amulet to his Master, Dante's sword cut his arm high up, causing him to clutch it with his other hand.

Before Mundus could reach over to Arkham's portal and grab the Amulet from him, Sparda leapt into the air and kicked Mundus in the chest. As Mundus backed up into the portal, he screamed once again.

"No!"

By this time, Kade had also ran the length of the narrow bridge. Arkham slowly looked down at the amulet in his hand. He turned around and slowly entered his portal.

Before he could fully exit, he felt the cold, hard grip of Kade's hands clutch his wrist. Arkham's eyes widened as the amulet the he was holding came out of his hand and flew into the portal. His body began to get sucked into the portal like a piece of dust in a vacuum.

Kade gritted his teeth as he fought the overwhelming strength of the portal.

Arkham's eyes shone red as he stared ad Kade's green eyes.

Sparda ran over to Arkham's portal and also gripped Arkham's wrist.

Dante had reached the end of the bridge. All he could do was stare at his Father and Kade desperately holding on to Arkham.

"What can I do, Father?" he asked frantically.

Sparda looked back to Dante.

"Do you know of any way to defeat Arkham? We must get that amulet back!" he yelled to his son.

Before Dante answered back, he remembered the one woman who could truly figure out how to defeat Arkham.

"Arkham's daughter!" he yelled back to his Father.

Sparda nodded. "Go find her then! We do not have enough strength to pull him back through this portal, but if we can find where the portal leads to, then we will find him there!"

Dante nodded. Sparda and Kade both nodded to each other and let go of Arkham's wrist. He quickly vanished into his portal.

Sparda sighed and walked over to Mundus' and Bolverk's portal. He turned back to Kade and sighed.

"I must go Kade. I must stop them."

Kade closed his eyes and nodded. "I know, Sparda. I know. I also heard Bolverk's voice."

Dante nodded as well. "I heard it too, Father."

Sparda frowned, then nodded slightly. "Then that means he intended for us all to hear his words."

After a moment, Sparda and Kade slowly embraced. As they let go of each other, Sparda asked Kade a favor.

"Take care of my son once again, Kade. Help him find Arkham's daughter."

Kade nodded.

Sparda turned to his son.

"The portal is starting to vanish, Dante."

Dante nodded and embraced his Father. As he did, a small tear rolled down his cheek.

"Be careful, Father. I don't want to lose you again."

Sparda nodded to Dante. "You won't. I promise you that."

With that, Sparda closed his eyes and slowly stepped through the portal that would lead him away from the BattleGround and into his fate.

After both portals vanished, Dante and Kade surveyed the Gothic BattleBround from atop the narrow bridge.

Almost every wall was broken and cracked. The storm and the rain spread out quite a bit of the chunks of debris across the whole temple floor.

Dante laughed out loud. "I guess we decorated the place pretty well."

Kade also laughed and nodded. "I guess we did, Dante."

Dante looked down to the stairs that led to the entrance where the altar and the amulets were.

"This is where the battle started." He looked over to Kade.

"And in a way," before Dante could finish, Kade finished for him.

"This is where it ended."

Dante nodded. He noticed the orange tint reflecting off of all the walls and debris and quickly glanced up at the original portal that hovered above he and Kade. He had almost forgotten about it.

Kade looked up at it as well.

"This would lead us back to Hell." He looked over to Dante.

"Bolverk himself said that only Sparda could enter."

Kade winced. "It seems strange, but it almost seems as if Bolverk is trying to help Sparda."

Dante agreed.

"It would be more useful to find Arkham's daughter than to try to find your Father again, don't you think?"

Dante nodded.

"Yeah, and I know exactly where to find her."

* * *

The sun was almost rising when Kade decided to step out onto the small balcony in the apartment. The Earth Realm was quite an interesting place to him, and he was eager to learn more about it.

As he stepped out onto the balcony, a small bird landed on his shoulder and chirped.

Kade frowned and looked at the small bird..

"Greetings. I am Kade. Who are you?"

The bird merely chirped again and flew away.

Kade looked very confused and frowned. "Did I offend you?" he called out to the bird.

"I apologize."

* * *

Dante had chosen to sit in a chair in a corner of the bedroom.

In the bed, a young girl with short, jet black hair turned over and pulled up the covers to her chest.

She wore a small, pink satin night robe that went down to her mid thighs.

As she tossed and turned slightly, Dante frowned. He hoped, after all these years, she would be a little joyful to finally see him again.

After all, they had battled as teammates in the Temen-Ni-Gru.

Dante sighed. Should he have jumped through the portal with his Father? Should he have re-entered the portal that led back into the Underworld to try to stop Bolverk and Mundus?

As more and more questions began to flood his mind, Dante rested his head on his hand and sighed.

Somehow, he had to trust that the words Bolverk spoke truly meant something.

"Everything happens for a reason, Dante," he reassured himself.

As the orange morning sun rose, Dante sat dormant in the only available dark corner of the room, hoping that Mary would wake up soon.

Hopefully, she would see some sort of light at the end of this dark tunnel.

* * *

The small torches placed along the stone walls provided just the right amount of light for the Sorcerer Guildenstern to see what he was doing.

Slowly, he added the final touches onto his Demon masterpiece and clapped his scaly hands together.

"It is complete!" he said as he marveled at his creation.

There, lying on the large, scaly black demon altar in front of him, was one of the largest hybrid Demons that Hell had ever seen.

"Rise, my Demon!"

The giant beast rose and stood to its full height. It towered over Guildenstern.

It had a bluish gray skin tone that resembled Kade's charcoal skin. Light grayish white robes that were torn in several places covered its back and parts of its shoulders and waste like an overcoat. It was barely enough to conceal the creature's muscular build. The torch light reflected off of its bald head. The mammoth Demon had no mouth, nose or ears, only glowing amber eyes.

On its left arm, it harnessed the light blue power of water. On its right arm, swirled the orange and red power of fire.

Guildenstern clapped his hands together once again and placed his hand on the beast's arm.

"Let us get you acquainted with your Master."

* * *

In a dimly lit, black Throneroom that most of Hell's occupants had no knowledge of, there sat a man on a black throne.

Guildenstern and the giant hybrid beast stood before him.

There was only enough yellow light coming from the windows for Guildenstern and the creature to make out some of the man's blue overcoat and fleshy human hands.

Another light coming from a large chandelier that hung from the roof exposed his spiky, white hair and icy blue eyes.

He sat resting his head on his hand with one finger underneath his bottom lip. The others curled underneath the bottom of his chin.

His long, thin, golden and silver Katana Sword was leaning up against the left side of the throne upon which he sat.

Guildenstern took a single step forward.

"My Lord, he is complete."

He looked over to his hulk of a Demon.

"Element is complete."

Guildenstern smiled. "He possesses the brute strength of Bolverk and Marcellus, and the knowledge of both Kade and Sparda…"

The young male on the throne lashed out.

"You are never to mention their names in my presence!"

Guildenstern apologized, then bowed.

The young male looked over to Element and grinned through the darkness.

"Excellent."

"What is your first mission?" questioned the man on the throne.

Just like Bolverk's voice, Element's seemed to be a whisper that echoed from every corner of the room.

"To destroy Lord Mundus."

"Good."

"And your next mission?"

"To retrieve the two amulets."

"Good."

The man on the throne looked over to Guildenstern and nodded.

"He'll do just fine."

Guildenstern nodded and bowed. "I knew you would be happy, my Lord."

The man on the throne slowly pointed to the Throneroom doors.

"Go now, Element. Make the Underworld proud."

"Make your Lord proud."

As Element turned and started to exit the Throneroom, the young male sitting on the throne grinned once again.

With the assistance of both Guildenstern and Element, he would soon take full leadership over Hell. He would take full leadership over the Underworld.

If there was but one thing that would prevent Sparda from reaching the light at the end of the tunnel, it would be this mysterious hybrid Demon from the Underworld.

It would be Element...

* * *

The End.

* * *

Author's Note: Just when you thought it would end right? You'll have to wait just a little longer to find out what happens in the story. Well, I really hope you guys liked this Final Chapter. It was certainly an experience for me writing it. I felt like this Chapter and the first were by far the most interesting and hardest to write. Obviously, there will be a sequel to this story. The title will be "The Battleground II: The Gates Of Hell." I have gotten a good start on it and I will put it out fairly soon. Thanks for some of the compliments on the character 'Kade' that I created. I wasn't sure if he'd fit the story well or not, but i feel like he really did in the end. Thank you for all the support along the way, and like always, please R&R.

Chris Lozinski

* * *


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